Former Man Utd teammates Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo still play together for Portugal (Photo: Getty)
Bruno Fernandes disagrees with former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo that Portugal’s new manager Roberto Martinez has been a ‘breath of fresh air’.
Martinez was hired as Portugal’s new boss at the start of the year, shortly after leaving Belgium in disgrace as his side crashed out of the Qatar World Cup in the group stage.
He replaced Fernando Santos who himself was sacked after Portugal exited the tournament at the quarter-final stage, but not before a high-profile falling out with Ronaldo.
The legendary forward, who just prior to the World Cup had left United in disgrace, reacted angrily to getting subbed off by Santos and as a result was benched for the next two games – a tactic that was widely praised but hated by Ronaldo supporters.
It was thought that the 38-year-old would retire from international duty following this, but he was called up Martinez as Euro 2024 qualifying began.
It’s a decision that has paid off for now, with the Al-Nassr star captaining his country and scoring four goals as Portugal thrashed both Liechtenstein and Luxembourg.
Ronaldo hailed the impact of Martinez on the side, saying: ‘It’s a new chapter for everyone, for the players, the staff and the country.
Roberto Martinez previously managed Swansea, Wigan, Everton and Belgium (Photo: Getty)
‘We feel good energy. It’s a breath of fresh air.’
It is not surprising to see Ronaldo hail the man who has restored him to Portugal’s starting XI, having been so critical of Erik ten Hag after he was persistently benched at United earlier this season.
But his international teammate Fernandes wasn’t so quick to hail the arrival of the former Swansea, Wigan and Everton manager, telling RTP3: ‘No, it’s just a new coach with new ideas. There is no breath of fresh air at all.
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‘It’s just a transition period. The atmosphere in the national team has always been good. There’s never been anything that wasn’t fresh of the air, so I think it’s just new dynamics, new coach, and you have to assimilate his ideas.’
Despite Ronaldo heavily criticising his United teammates during the explosive Piers Morgan interview last year, Fernandes remains on good terms with his fellow countryman and defended him throughout the World Cup in spite of his antics.
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Ronaldo described Roberto Martinez as ‘a breath of fresh air’