By Jeremy Cross in Houston

Ruben Dias believes the criticism of Cristiano Ronaldo will never stop.

But the Manchester City defender has told those taking pot shots at the Portugal squad, that it means nothing to him and his team-mates.

Roberto Martinez and his flops have endured a miserable World Cup start after failing to beat minnows DR Congo.

To make matters worse, Ronaldo threw a strop in Houston after marching down the tunnel at the final whistle.

Martinez, who is expected to stand down following the tournament, has also been accused of lacking the courage to drop or substitute Ronaldo.

But Dias insists it is all water of a duck’s back.

Dias, who is an £80m target of Real Madrid this summer, said: “I think nothing new is happening.

“Even within the difficulty, everyone is in their comfort zone in terms of knowing how to handle the situation.

“I’ve never seen a difficult moment as an insurmountable wall. Like I said, it’s not an issue. It’s just noise. It’s part of playing for this national team. It’s not important to us.”

Dias believes everyone is to blame for the poor result – not just Ronaldo.

He said: “First of all, the arrows aren’t pointing at just one player. Cristiano is a major focus of attention, but I think we’re all involved.

“Above all, apart from what I just said, I don’t think anything out of the ordinary is happening.

“It’s always been like this since I’ve been here. I believe it will continue to be in the future.”

Martinez’s squad were hammered for spending some time on the beach, close to their World Cup camp in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

But Dias has pointed his finger at the media, for stirring up trouble for the sake of it.

He added: “I think it should never have been a topic. A large part of the blame lies with you (media), all of you, for the lack of information among the people who read everything you share with them.

“It is also your duty to inform them correctly. I think it’s more than normal, I think it’s beneficial.

“Time is an essential issue. It’s good for us. Done the right way, there are only benefits.

“The manager wasn’t afraid to do it (go to beach), even knowing what they (media) were going to do. I take my hat off to him.”