A war of words surrounding Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez (28, Man United) escalated another step. After a derby victory, one remark prompted Manchester United legend Nicky Butt (51) to respond harshly.
The Telegraph of Britain on the 20th (KST) reported on the podcast The Good, The Bad & The Football, on which Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes granted an appearance, and conveyed the two legends' counterattack toward Lisandro Martínez.
The trigger was a joking remark made before the Manchester derby. Butt and Scholes questioned his competitiveness by comparing the physical difference between Erling Haaland and Martínez to "a father running while carrying a child" and saying "Haaland will score and throw Lisandro Martínez into the goal."
Hearing this, Martínez fired back after the derby victory, "Anyone can say anything on TV. If you have something to say, come anywhere and say it directly. My home is fine too." In the Manchester City match, Martínez displayed a performance completely different from the legends' predictions and perfectly contained Haaland.
Butt said the reaction itself was the problem. He said, "We are not broadcast commentators but a podcast where friends talk about football. It's obviously a joke. I can't understand getting so worked up and saying 'come to my house.' He needs to grow up."
Butt's remarks did not end there. He went on to say, "If you react emotionally to remarks like that, you're not ready to play for a big club. He bloody well needs to grow up," adding profanity and saying, "If you're that sensitive you have to be perfect every week."
Scholes also did not back down. He revealed that Martínez had previously expressed dissatisfaction directly via Instagram messages, saying, "I heard he lost respect. So I sent my phone number, but there was no contact afterward." While acknowledging Martínez's performance in the derby, he drew a line by saying, "I'm not yet convinced he's a defender who can win the league. You can't judge that by one match."
Despite the controversy, judging only by the match, Martínez did his job. Manchester United beat Manchester City 2-0, and he effectively neutralized Haaland, completing his third clean sheet of the league season. But the standards set by the legends are higher. One proof is not enough.
Rio Ferdinand offered a different perspective. He said, "The remarks crossed the line of a joke a little bit," adding, "If Martínez felt uncomfortable he has the right to speak up." Ferdinand's view was that, leaving aside football ability, directly targeting Lisandro Martínez's "short stature" could be seen as a personal attack. However, even this was insufficient to completely quench the embers of the dispute.
Words were exchanged on the podcast, and rebuttals followed in interviews. Now what remains is the field. There is only one way for Martínez to end this controversy. One more match, and another match after that, producing the same answer.
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