Paul Scholes has remarked that Cristiano Ronaldo has become somewhat of a ‘problem’ for Portugal, asserting that it is inappropriate for the superstar forward to still be leading the team at the age of 41.
Ronaldo matched Lionel Messi’s record by participating in six different World Cups, captaining Portugal during their opening group-stage match against DR Congo on Wednesday.
Roberto Martinez boasts a talented squad this summer, and the 2025 Nations League champions are considered strong contenders for the prestigious trophy, alongside teams such as France, Spain, England, and the current champions, Argentina.
Although Joao Neves scored early in the sixth minute, giving Portugal a promising start, Martinez’s team was unable to take advantage of their control in Houston.
Newcastle forward, Yoane Wissa scored an equalizer against the run of play just before half-time, leaving the match tied, and Portugal could not find a winning goal, ultimately settling for a draw.
It was a forgettable evening for Ronaldo, who did not create any opportunity, take any shots, successfully dribble past an opponent, or win a single duel during a particularly disappointing first half.
Despite this, Martinez chose to keep Ronaldo on the pitch until the end of the match, substituting Pedro Neto, Vitinha, Bernardo Silva, Tomas Araujo, and Nuno Mendes instead.
‘I believe it’s challenging for the manager,’ Scholes, a former England and Manchester United midfielder, stated on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast.
‘I once had a conversation with Roberto Martinez off-camera during a Stick to Football session, where I inquired, “Is he a problem for you?”, as I feel he is somewhat of a concern.
‘At 41 years of age… I believe there is only one position on the field where a player of that age should be starting, and that is as a goalkeeper, in my opinion.
“Now look, he is going to score goals and he’s in a team that have a lot of possession, but once there’s a game where it has to be transition… and there will be games like that. His movement at 41 years of age…’
Scholes, who shared a dressing room with Ronaldo for six years at Old Trafford, ‘feels sorry’ for Martinez and believes the five-time Ballon d’Or winner would be far more effective coming off the bench in the closing stages.
“The trouble with Portugal is they haven’t really got an outstanding centre-forward anyway, have they? You’ve got to have somebody who runs,” he added.
“For me, he has to be a player for the last 15 minutes. For a 40 or 41-year-old to be playing centre-forward, I just don’t get it.
“You might get away with it at centre-half, you might do in a team that keeps the ball and you probably get away with it as a goalkeeper, but as a centre-forward at 41… it’s not right.
“We saw it with Croatia and Luka Modric last night at 40 years old. Central midfield at 40…
“Cristiano will be so pissed off because Lionel Messi got a hat-trick, Kylian Mbappe got two… it will be killing him.
“I feel sorry for Martinez because he’s trying to embrace it and he’s saying, “No, I’ve got the best goalscorer in the world”, but deep down he must know that’s hurting his team.”