Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United have been trying to repair their relationship for months, but it seems that all efforts have been in vain, and it doesn’t seem like they will be able to patch things up anytime soon.
Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United in 2009 after nine seasons with the club. He was a key player for the team during his time there, helping them win numerous trophies, including the Champions League. For that reason, when the player decided to come back to Old Trafford, the club and the fans eagerly received him.
But the return of CR7 has not paid off as expected, and the player expressed his desire to leave the Red Devils after completing only one season. The club’s board of directors refused; consequently, a war broke out between the Portuguese player and the club.
In an exclusive interview with journalist Piers Morgan in The Sun, Ronaldo practically burned all the bridges with Manchester United and said things that make it almost impossible for him to return to the club after the World Cup.
He does not respect his technique and feels betrayed
One of the statements that attract the most attention is in which Ronaldo states that he has no respect for Erik Ten Hag, the new coach of the Red Devils.
“I don’t have respect for him [Ten Hag] because he doesn’t show respect for me.
“If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never gonna have respect for you,” Ronaldo said
CR7 also expressed his dissatisfaction with the club’s board and said that he feels betrayed.
“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. I feel that some people didn’t want me here, not only this year but last season too.”
The player also stated that the club has not evolved since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down as manager.
“The progress was zero. Since Sir Alex left, I saw no evolution in the club. Nothing had changed. He [Ferguson] knows better than anybody that the club is not on the path they deserve to be.
“He knows. Everyone knows. The people who don’t see that. It’s because they don’t want to see; they are blind.”
against the owners
Cristiano also spoke out against the owners of the club
“Manchester is a marketing club,” said CR7, adding, “They will get money from marketing — the sport, it’s… they don’t care, in my opinion.”
Let’s remember that the Glazer family owners of the club have been in the eye of the hurricane since the fans of the club widely despise them because they seem to have no genuine interest in the club beyond money.
Ronaldo said that the Glazers had not invested enough in infrastructure and technology to allow the club to be more competitive, and he agreed with the fans that the Glazers are one of the club’s problems.
“The fans are always right. I think the fans should know the truth; they should know that the players want the best for the club.”
According to MetroUK, the statements provided will result in a fine of one million pounds.
What will happen in the future?
The damage is done, and it is likely that Ronaldo will not play a single minute with the Red Devils again after these statements.
Erik Ten Hag will have to isolate the player, as happened with Pierre Emerick Aboumeyang at Arsenal after the latter committed disciplinary offenses that resulted in his departure from the club.
The issue with Ronaldo is that not many candidates are interested in his services.
Napoli had some interest in the player, but they have a well-covered team front line with Osimhen, Gio Simeone, and Raspadori, and they lead the Serie A, so the club has no need.
Nor does it seem that Bayern, Borussia Dortmund, or PSG are interested in the player.
The possible return home to Sporting Lisbon seems, at the moment, the most viable option for Cristiano.
I already told him: ‘Son, before I die, I want to see you return to Sporting,’ revealed his mother, Dolores Aveiro.
The president of the ‘lions,’ Bruno de Carvalho, does not hide his interest in getting Ronaldo back: “I would love for Ronaldo to end his career here, at home. He represents a lot to us. He is a world ambassador. We are making a great effort to ensure that certain players return to the club. We already did it with Nani in 2014-15”.
Sporting Lisbon has odds of 3/1 in the bookmakers to be Ronaldo’s future club in January.
The other possible options are Chelsea with 4/1 and Any MLS Club with 6/1