November 14 – Cristiano Ronaldo’s long relationship with Manchester United appears to be drawing to a close after the Portuguese superstar publicly accused the club of betrayal by not playing him.
Ronaldo claims he is being forced out and has no respect for manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo rejoined United from Juventus for a second spell in August 2021 on a two-year deal, returning to the club where he won eight major trophies from 2003-2009.
In a no-holds-barred interview for TalkTV, Ronaldo, about to link up with Portugal’s World Cup squad, was asked whether United’s hierarchy were trying to push him out.
“Yes not only the coach but another two or three guys around the club. I felt betrayed,” he said.
“I feel betrayed, and I felt some people don’t want me here, not just this year, but last year too.”
The interview is set to be broadcast this week but advance clips were released on Sunday – just hours after United’s final game before the World Cup.
Ronaldo was left out of the squad for the second match in a row at the weekend after the club said he had an undisclosed illness but his latest comments will fuel speculation that he has played his final game for the club.
Last month, Ten Hag claimed Ronaldo, now 37, refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur. He was then left out of the squad that faced Chelsea the following Saturday.
Ronaldo, who will captain Portugal in Qatar, said of Ten Hag: “I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me. If you don’t respect me, I’m never gonna have respect for you.”
“I think the fans should know the truth. I want the best for the club. This is why I came 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.”
Ronaldo claimed there had been no progress at the club since the retirement in 2013 of Alex Ferguson.
“The progress was zero since Sir Alex left, I saw no evolution in the club. Nothing had changed.
“He 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.”
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