1 week Ago By [email protected] (Tom Victor)
Two years on from the interview that all but ended Cristiano Ronaldo's second Manchester United spell, the club are about to embark on another new era. In November 2022, as players were preparing for the World Cup in Qatar , Ronaldo slammed his club in an explosive interview with Piers Morgan . He had captained the side in their defeat at Aston Villa barely a week earlier, but that would end up being his final game for United.
Before the end of the month, the Premier League club had terminated Ronaldo's contract by mutual agreement . He would remain part of Fernando Santos' squad for the World Cup, helping them reach the quarter-finals, and joined Al-Nassr in December. Things looked positive for United at the end of the 2022-23 season, with the club finishing third under Erik ten Hag and winning the Carabao Cup .
That resurgence didn't last all that long, though, and Ten Hag was eventually sacked in October 2024 . Plenty of allegations came out in Ronaldo's conversation with Morgan, and a lot of them didn't exactly paint United in the best light. Here, Mirror Football looks back at what he got right and what he got wrong.
United 'betrayal' "Honestly, I shouldn't say that...
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People should listen to the truth," Ronaldo said, suggesting he was being forced out. "Yes, I feel betrayed and I feel that some people don't want me here, not only this year but last year, too". Have you changed your mind on Ronaldo's interview? Have your say in the comments section United's decision to limit Ronaldo's game-time appeared vindicated for the remainder of the season.
He was their top scorer in the 2021-22 campaign, but the cub enjoyed a better finish without him. It was later reported that a number of top European clubs rejected the chance to sign Ronaldo , even on reduced wages. There wasn't a rush from clubs to sign him - even those at a comparable level to United - and it remains tough to determine whether his goal record in Saudi Arabia says anything about whether he'd have been able to do the same in Europe.
Ten Hag 'respect' "I don't have respect for him because he doesn't show respect for me," Ronaldo said of Ten Hag. "If you don't have respect for me, I'm never gonna have respect for you. If you don't have respect for me, I'm never gonna have respect for you.
" Ronaldo ultimately wasn't the only United player who didn't see eye-to-eye with Ten Hag. Jadon Sancho was perhaps the highest-profile example, with a very public war of words with the manager, while ZIdane Iqbal went from one-for-the-future to a cut-price Utrecht move after a notable hammering from the Dutchman. In welcoming Ten Hag's successor Ruben Amorim, United captain Bruno Fernandes pointed to the Portuguese's ability to connect to players.
It's something Ten Hag appeared to struggle with - not just with Ronaldo but also at other points in his tenure. Rooney criticism "I don't know why he criticises me so badly," Ronaldo said of his former team-mate. "Probably because he finished his career and I'm still playing at high level.
I'm not going to say that I'm looking better than him. Which is true." Rooney had previously argued Lionel Messi is a better player than Ronaldo, and doubled down on that stance following Ronaldo's interview with Morgan.
“Everyone has different views on Messi and Ronaldo but I have said many times that I think Messi is the best. I have watched lots of videos of Diego Maradona , who was a similar player, but Messi is better," he told The Times “He has everything — the way he controls games, his dribbling, his assists — whereas Ronaldo is more of a goalscorer. It would be a great story for football if either Messi or Ronaldo won the World Cup.
" Sure enough, Messi did lead Argentina to World Cup glory, scoring seven goals in Qatar including two in the final. Ronaldo netted just once in the tournament as Portugal went out in the quarter-finals - the same stage at which they were eliminated from Euro 2024 as Ronaldo failed to score a single goal outside penalty shoot-outs. Rangnick slammed Ralf Rangnick was another to bear the brunt of Ronaldo's criticism.
The German had finished the 2021-22 season in interim charge, with a view to moving upstairs the following season, but the club opted for a clean break after a tough end to the season. “If you’re not even a coach, how are you going to be the boss of Manchester United ?" Ronaldo asked of Rangnick. "I’d never even heard of him.
" Rangnick quickly found another job, taking charge of the Austria national team, and led them to the Euros after they had missed out on the 2022 World Cup. There's an argument that his United spell was simply a case of the wrong fit for the club, but he's far from the only man to run into difficulties. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content.
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