Ronaldo was disappointing. Photo: Reuters .
Speaking on the podcast "The Good, The Bad & The Football," Scholes revealed that he had directly questioned coach Roberto Martinez about Ronaldo's role. The former England star believed that continuing to use Ronaldo in the starting lineup was creating difficulties for the Portuguese national team's manager.
"At 41, I think the only position on the pitch that can be a starter is goalkeeper," Scholes shared, "Clearly, Cristiano is part of the current problem in the national team."
Later, the former Manchester United midfielder also compared Ronaldo to Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, who shone brightly at the 2026 World Cup. “Ronaldo would be furious if Messi scored a hat-trick and Mbappe scored two goals. That would drive him crazy. I understand that Martinez must know Ronaldo is harming the team.”
According to Scholes, Ronaldo can still score in matches where Portugal controls the game. However, in matches requiring quick transitions and high intensity, CR7's presence is reducing the team's mobility. The former Manchester United midfielder believes the most sensible solution is to use Ronaldo as a "super substitute" for the last 15 minutes of the match instead of having him start from the beginning.
Ronaldo is gradually becoming a difficult problem for Portugal, similar to what happened at the FIFA World Cup 2022, where the team was eliminated in the quarter-finals.
