Jamie Carragher had to talk about the obvious during a viral interview with Lisandro Martinez.
Jamie Carragher shared a friendly apology to Lisandro Martinez for some early doubts he had when Martinez first started his Premier League journey. The two had a chat on CBS Sports Golazo on Thursday.
Manchester United had a great game, beating Azerbaijan’s Sabah 4-0 in their Champions League return. Goals came from Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes, Benjamin Sesko, and Martinez himself.
After the game, Martinez joined CBS Sports for a live interview with Carragher, Micah Richards, and Thierry Henry. Feeling happy after scoring his first goal at Old Trafford, Martinez’s visit gave Carragher a chance to bring up his earlier criticism of the Argentine defender.
Back in 2022, Carragher had wondered if Martinez could make it because he’s 5ft 9 and asked if someone that size could play in a Premier League back four. He did say Martinez might fit as a left-back, but wasn’t sure about central defense.
Carragher later apologized on Sky Sports in 2023 and told United fans they could stop sending him messages about it. Now, talking to Martinez directly, Carragher said, “Lisandro, when you first joined Manchester United I said you were too small to succeed. You’ve now been here for four or five years, and you’ve completely proven me wrong. You’ve really grown on me.”
Martinez, who’s faced criticism from other legends like Paul Scholes and Gary Neville too, gave a thoughtful reply: “That’s fine. Sometimes you have to listen and be smart about these comments. If you keep thinking about them, you’ll end up playing and thinking badly. I’m just focused and giving my all for the club that trusted me from day one.”
During the fun CBS Champions League coverage, Martinez got a warm round of applause from the panel. When Micah Richards asked him who his favorite on the show was, Martinez quickly picked Arsenal legend Thierry Henry. Richards teased him, asking, “What about us defenders?” But Martinez just smiled and said, “I like to watch quality players.”