Manchester United superstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo shocked the world on Monday with an explosive interview exposing the club's frailties.
In an interview with Piers Morgan for TalkTV, released by The Sun, Ronaldo said he feels "betrayed" and also claimed there has been "zero progress" at the club since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in the summer of 2013.
Ronaldo, who re-joined United in August 2021 and finished as their top scorer in all competitions last season with 24 goals, but since then, it’s all been downhill for the Portuguese football great.
His recent interview will surely come as a final nail in the coffin. Considering the timing of the interview, it appears that Ronaldo has played his last match for Manchester United and it is the beginning of the end for the superstar at Old Trafford.
Here are the reasons why it all got soured between Ronaldo and Manchester United
Sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
The seeds of discord were sown when Manchester United sacked manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the wake of their 4-1 loss to Watford in the Premier League in November 2021. The club then appointed Ralf Rangnick as the interim manager of Manchester United till the end of the 2021-22 season. But the results were not up to the mark as the team struggled with the high intensity play of the German boss. Ronaldo came under heavy criticism for failing to adapt to the high-pressing game. The season turned out to be a disaster as the Red Devils missed out on UEFA Champions League spot, leaving the Portuguese fuming.
Missing pre-season tour
Ronaldo skipped the pre-season tour ahead of the 2022-23 season, citing personal issues. But reports in the media suggested that the forward was looking to broker a deal with other clubs. However, he failed to find any takers and had to return to Old Trafford. Though the new boss Erik ten Hag played down his star player’s absence, the whole episode left a bitter taste in the Dutchman’s mouth.
Sulky stomp-off
Since Erik ten Hag took over at Old Trafford, the former Ajax boss has shown little regard for big names. He has been strict with non-performing players. Ronaldo has been in and out of United's starting lineup this season and refused to come on as a substitute in the win over Tottenham in October. That led to him being banished from the squad for the subsequent trip to Chelsea, although he then returned to the fold.
