Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith
Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez finally got his revenge on Jamie Carragher, years after the Liverpool defender claimed he was too small to succeed in the Premier League.
Martinez was lambasted by pundits, most notably Carragher, after struggling in Man Utd’s infamous 4-0 away defeat to Brentford. The Argentina defender, who is 5ft 9in tall, had only signed for the Red Devils weeks earlier and was still adjusting to English football following his £48 million move from Ajax.
Carragher confidently asserted that Martinez at United “can’t work”. Four years later, though, and Martinez is still a Manchester United player and celebrated his fourth goal on his 113th appearance for the club after scoring against Sabah in the Champions League on Thursday night.
Martinez Gets Revenge on Carragher
REUTERS/Phil Noble
Martinez subsequently made a live TV appearance on CBS Sports - the show Carragher works on alongside Thierry Henry and Micah Richards.
The South American didn’t miss his opportunity to exact revenge on the Anfield hero.
Former Man City and England defender Richards asked his usual question: “Who’s your favourite on the show?”
Martinez responded: “You know guys, you know… Thierry Henry.”
Carragher then said: “What about the defenders? Defenders look after defenders.”
Martinez replied: “No, I will watch quality players, you know?” Watch the clip below:
Martinez was also asked what he thought about Carragher as a defender. The 28-year-old said: “As a player… good person, you know?” Watch that clip below:
During the same interview, Carragher admitted to Martinez: “You’ve completely proven me wrong. It’s fair to say you’ve grown on me…”
Martinez said: “That’s fine. Sometimes you have to take these comments from you guys and you have to be smart. If you keep thinking about what you are saying, at the end I will be playing bad and thinking bad things. I’m trying to be focused and trying to give everything for this club that trusted me from day one.”
Darren Fletcher
Darren Fletcher
While Martinez has proved that he can play in the Premier League, despite his relatively diminutive stature as a centre-back, injuries have limited his appearances during his four full seasons at Old Trafford.
He only made 19 appearances last season and has never played more than 27 league games in a season.
The World Cup winner will be hoping to stay injury-free this season to help Man Utd achieve their objectives in both the Premier League and Champions League.