Cristiano Ronaldo, in a 90-minute interview with British reporter Piers Morgan, which took place at the Sun appeared, settled with Manchester United. Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag also got their fat off.
The Portuguese clarified that he feels ‘betrayed’ by the Red Devils with the way he has been treated over the past few weeks and months.
He resented being made the ‘black sheep’ for the club’s sporting crisis and believes the club are now trying to actively force him out of the club. It is currently the “most difficult time of his life”.
With this, Ronaldo alluded to the ongoing rumors that he would leave the club in the winter. Recently he had afforded several escapades. According to reports, the 37-year-old himself pushed for a farewell last summer. At that time, however, no buyers were found for the striker.
Meanwhile, the tablecloth between Ronaldo and coach Erik ten Hag seems to have been cut. The Dutchman had suspended the multiple world footballer a few weeks ago because he had refused to come on as a substitute in the game against Tottenham Hotspur. “I have no respect for him because he has no respect for me. If they don’t respect me, I will have no respect for them,” Ronaldo said.
Ronaldo hadn’t been able to do anything with ten Hag’s predecessor, Ralf Rangnick either. “If you’re not even a manager, how do you want to be the boss of Manchester United? I had never heard of him,” he said of the current Austria manager.
Rangnick took over as head coach from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on an interim basis last season and then acted as an advisor. Ultimately, however, Rangnick decided against further cooperation and hired the ÖFB.
Ronaldo: “No development since Ferguson”
The current standing of Manchester United, which only qualified for the Europa League last season, does not surprise Ronaldo. “I haven’t seen any development at the club since Sir Alex (Ferguson; editor’s note) left,” he said. “Nothing has changed.” The 80-year-old coached the Red Devils from 1986 to 2013.
Ronaldo also surmised how Ferguson feels about the state of the club: “He knows better than anyone that the club is not on the path it deserves. He knows it. Everyone knows it. The people who don’t see that, are blind because they don’t want to see it”.
“There are some things within the club that don’t help us get to the top level, like City, Liverpool and now even Arsenal,” Ronaldo said. “A club of this size should be at the top and I think they are unfortunately not.”
Ronaldo continued: “As Picasso said, you had to destroy something in order to rebuild it and if they start with me, that’s not a problem for me.” An allusion to the Picasso quote: “Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.”
Ferguson had persuaded Ronaldo to return to Manchester United in the summer of 2021. “He said to me, ‘You can’t go to Manchester City’ and I said, ‘Okay, boss.'” Shortly after his arrival, he was shocked by the conditions on the club’s premises, such as the training facilities and nutrition.
Cristiano Ronaldo settles scores with Wayne Rooney
Ronaldo also settled accounts with one of his many critics: Wayne Rooney. The former United striker had described his public appearance as “unacceptable”. “I don’t know why he criticizes me so much…probably because he retired and I’m still playing at a high level,” Ronaldo said.
Shortly afterwards he added with a laugh: “I will not say that I look better than him, which is also true … “
According to his own statement, he received more support from other clubs than from United when his son tragically lost. Those responsible even expressed doubts when Ronaldo reported on his situation. That would have “hurt” and made him feel “bad”.
Cristiano Ronaldo with a declaration of love to his fans
However, Manchester United fans remain close to Ronaldo’s heart. “They are the most important thing in football. You play for them,” he said. “They are always on my side. I feel like every time I go out on the street, the fans come up to me and appreciate me what I do for football.”
For this reason, the supporters of the Red Devils are “everything” for him. “That’s why I’m doing this interview, because I think it’s the right time to speak my mind. (…) I think the fans should know the truth.”
Ronaldo stressed: “I want the best for the club. That’s why I came to Manchester United. I love Manchester United, I love the fans, they’re always on my side. But if they want to do things differently, they need a lot, change a lot of things.”
Ronaldo himself now wants to concentrate on the upcoming World Cup in Qatar and “win the tournament for Portugal”. He then returns to Manchester to “set things straight with United”.
