Highest International active goalscorer of all-time and 5-time Ballon D’or Winner Cristiano Ronaldo has come out to express his grief regarding the treatment he has been receiving at Manchester United. During an Interview, Ronaldo spoke about how things have taken an unexpected turn at the club from where his actual journey started.
Cristiano Ronaldo on Man Utd: "Nothing changed since I left. The pool, the jacuzzi, even the gym, even some technology. Even the chefs who I appreciate, lovely people". đź”´ #MUFC
"I thought I would see new technology, infrastructure. I saw things I saw when I was 20!". pic.twitter.com/2Xo0g7S3la
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 14, 2022
The 37-year-old will most probably make his final FIFA World cup appearance starting from next week with hopes of ending his International career on a high. In 2016, the Portuguese captain won his first ever major silverware with his national side during Europe’s inter-continental competition UEFA Euros 2016.
Alongside 5 UEFA Champions League trophies, Ronaldo is one of the greatest players ever to step on to the field. However, since the beginning of this season he has been having a really tough time keeping up with his current club. From being a guaranteed starter to becoming an outcast, the star striker has been dealing with a lot lately.
This term, he hasn’t made as many appearances as he did in the previous seasons and according to him Manchester United have been very disrespectful towards him. Cristiano Ronaldo sat down with British broadcaster Piers Morgan and said a lot of unknown and unexpected things about the “Most successful club in England”.
7m views in just 8hrs… when @Cristiano speaks, the world listens. Our full explosive interview airs in a 2-night special on @PiersUncensored @TalkTV – Weds & Thurs night, 8pm.
It’s jaw-dropping. https://t.co/VYb2jUFbzI— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 14, 2022
Before getting into what he said, let’s talk about how it all started for him at Man United, his return to the club and how it will possibly end.
In 2003, Manchester United under Sir Alex Fergueson signed Cristiano Ronaldo for a then record fee which not only made him the most expensive player teenager in English football but also the first Portuguese to sign for the Red Devils.
His growth, overall development and instinctive goal scoring ability came in front of the world while playing for United. During his six year stay, Ronaldo showed he has all the tricks to become one of the bests. He won his first Ballon D’or award while wearing the Man united jersey and in 2009 he moved to Real Madrid where he won 4 UCLs as well as Ballon D’ors.
In 2021, Ronaldo forced a move out of Juventus and made a historic comeback to Old trafford. Before joining United, the Portuguese captain was also linked with a move to Manchester City and reports had suggested that he was only one step away from making one of the biggest upsets in world football.
Nonetheless, former United manager and players convinced him to not sign for City because it would have been utterly disrespectful and over night he penned down a two-year contract with the 13-time Premier league champions.
Many fans and pundits were extremely sure that United will thrive due to Ronaldo’s comeback but what actually happened was Ronaldo remained trophy less that season for the first time in almost 5 years. Another strange thing was United finishing 7th in Premier League which deprived Ronaldo from playing in UCL for the first time in his entire career.
The Red Devils did not really thrive but Ronaldo maintained his class and form by scoring 18 goals in 30 Premier league outings last season. During the 2022 Ballon D’or ceremony the 5-time winner finished 20th and what is taking place this season with him is agonizing.
New manager Erik ten Hag has consistently left him out of the squad or made him sat on the bench as an unused sub. His relationship with the 37-year-old never looked good since the start of the season and also suspended him for walking out of the stadium even before United’s clash against Tottenham Hotspur ended.
This season Ronaldo has played only 10 games in the Premier league. He has started only 4 times and came off the bench on 6 occasions. The only high for him was when he struck his 700th Club career goal against Everton. During United’s last two fixtures against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup and Fulham in the Premier League, he was left out of the squad entirely.
He was shocked by the lack of improvements to training facilities, from the pool and the gym to the kitchen (nutrition and diet), and in technology.
In an interview with Piers Morgan, the 37-year-old Portuguese did not hold back and fired some comments about his current situation at the club.
I think the fans should know the truth. I want the best for the club. This is why I come to Manchester United. But you have some things inside that don’t help us reach the top level as City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal. A club with this dimension should be top of the tree in my opinion and they are not unfortunately.
I don’t have respect for him 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 on Erik Ten Hag
He also said about the current situation of the club.
As Picasso said, you have to destroy it to rebuild it and if they start with me, for me, it’s not a problem. I love Manchester United, I love the fans, they’re always on my side. But if they want to do it different they have to change many, many things.”
Do you think he will play for Manchester United again after the FIFA World Cup 2022?
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