Lisandro Martinez has publicly criticised Manchester United after their 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid, becoming the ninth player to speak out against the club. His post-match interview with Amazon Prime attacked the hierarchy, called for more summer investment and singled out technical director Jason Wilcox.
Poor start to the season
United have won just one Premier League game from six and were eliminated from the Carabao Cup after a 3-2 loss to Brighton. On Saturday, they drew 1-1 with 10-man Tottenham. Against Atletico, United conceded inside the first minute, lost Leny Yoro to a red card in the 74th minute and conceded a second goal five minutes later.
Martinez claimed the squad lacks the quality to compete in the Champions League but deflected blame from manager Michael Carrick. The outburst has rocked Old Trafford, but United have weathered similar storms before. Here are eight other players who publicly spoke out or rebelled against the club.
Sancho, Ronaldo and Henderson
Jadon Sancho, signed for £73 million in 2021, fell out with manager Erik ten Hag in September 2023 after being left out of a matchday squad. He wrote on social media: "Please don't believe everything you read! I will not allow people saying things that [are] completely untrue. I have conducted myself in training very well this week. I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won't go into. I have been a scapegoat for a long time which isn't fair!" He refused to apologise, was loaned to Borussia Dortmund in January 2024, and later played for Chelsea and Aston Villa before his contract expired.
Cristiano Ronaldo, in a November 2022 interview with Piers Morgan, said: "Manchester United tried to force me out. Not only the manager, but the other two or three guys who are around the club [at the senior executive level]. I felt betrayed. I don't care, people should listen to the truth. Yes, I felt betrayed." He also said: "The progress was zero. Since Sir Alex left, I saw no evolution in the club. Nothing had changed." His contract was terminated and he joined Al-Nassr.
Dean Henderson, now at Crystal Palace, told talkSPORT in 2022: "The conversation I had coming out of the Euros squad was, 'You're coming back here to be the No. 1.' I got Covid, came back, so I should have still been the No. 1, but then unfortunately nobody followed through with what they had told me." He added: "To sit there and waste 12 months, it is criminal really." He signed for Palace in 2023.
Pogba, Lukaku and Rooney
Paul Pogba, in 2020, said of playing for France: "The France team is a breath of fresh air, the group is exceptional, it's magic. It's not that in the club we don't have fun, but here it's not the same. We laugh, we have fun, it's a family." He left United in 2022, later received a doping ban reduced to 18 months, and is now a free agent.
Romelu Lukaku, in August 2019, said: "A lot of stuff has been said where I didn't feel protected. I felt like a lot of rumours, 'Rom going there', 'They don't want Rom', and nobody came out to shut it down." He moved to Inter Milan days later and now plays for Fenerbahce.
Wayne Rooney, in October 2010, demanded to leave, saying: "I met with [United's chief executive] David Gill last week and he did not give me any of the assurances I was seeking about the future squad. I then told him that I would not be signing a new contract." He signed a new contract 48 hours later.
Tevez and Keane
Carlos Tevez, in 2009, said: "I've been waiting for a year-and-a-half for them to make an offer. I don't know what my future is. United know what they have to pay if they want me to stay." He joined Manchester City in July 2009.
Roy Keane, in October 2005, gave an unfiltered MUTV interview after a 4-1 defeat at Middlesbrough. He said: "I wasn't surprised by the result, I had been expecting one like this. I am sick of having to say it and they (the players) are sick of listening to me. They have let down the club, the manager, and the fans." He was fined £5,000 and never played for United again.
