In an interview, the Portuguese footballer scratched the Red Devils on Sunday, with whom the adventure turns to failure.
Rare are such frank and honest speeches in the often civilized world of football. But Cristiano Ronaldo showed, this Sunday, November 13, a certain resentment towards his club Manchester United. The Portuguese star fired red balls on his formation during a long interview granted to the British journalist Piers Morgan, in his television program. Cristiano Ronaldo sees himself as “betrayed” by the Red Devils. He feels that the club wanted to make him a “scapegoat” of its bad patch in recent months, the extension of a period without pomp for the legendary English team.
“CR7” thus explains living the “hardest time of his life“, both professionally and personally. This season, the Portuguese striker is not part of the plans of Dutch technician Erik ten Hag, who arrived at Old Trafford last summer to turn the club around. “I have no respect for him, because he does not show me respect, advance the player. If you don’t respect me, I’ll never respect you.”
Erik ten Hag is not the only one to find himself in Cristiano Ronaldo’s sights. The Lusitanian also resents several members of Man U’s management. “They tried to push me out, not just the coach, but two or three other people on the board. I felt betrayed. Some people don’t want me, and not just this year, but the last year too.” He lamented the lack “of empathy” of its leaders in the face of a personal tragedy, the hospitalization of his three-month-old child, which had caused him to miss part of the preparation of his club at the start of the season.
Cristiano Ronaldo made his return during the 2021 summer transfer window to the club where he had exploded at the start of his career. But after a promising start, the player, like his entire team, has continued to disappoint both in terms of their results and their performances. In this exchange, the striker also attacks the behavior of his young teammates, unwilling to benefit from his advice and experience.
He also points to the club’s lack of investment in its sports infrastructure (training center, weight room, catering, etc.). “Since Sir Alex Ferguson left [en 2013], I have not seen any evolution in the club. Nothing has changed. There is not the slightest progress. […] There are certain things internally that don’t help us reach the top level like Manchester City, Liverpool or even Arsenal now. I love Manchester United, I love the fans, they have always been by my side. But if they want to do things differently… They will have to change many, many things. If they start with me, it won’t be a problem.”
This season, the five-time Ballon d’Or is confined to a substitute role: he has scored only three goals in 16 matches played. Already on October 20, he was suspended by Manchester United, following his refusal to come into play the day before against Tottenham. With this vitriolic interview, the divorce between the club and the Portuguese seems even closer, as Cristiano Ronaldo prepares to fly away with the Portuguese selection for the World Cup in Qatar.