Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed members of the Manchester United hierarchy doubted him when he said he could not attend pre-season because his daughter was ill in hospital, and also says the Glazer family “don’t care” about club
Ronaldo accused United of betraying him – claiming the club tried to force him out – and said he has no respect for manager Erik ten Hag in the first clips released by TalkTV of a 90-minute interview with Piers Morgan.
The Portugal captain also hit out at former team-mate Wayne Rooney and last season’s United interim manager Ralf Rangnick as he criticized the lack of progress at Old Trafford since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down.
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The Guardian’s Jamie Jackson believes Cristiano Ronaldo is ruining his legacy at Manchester United following his recent comments about the club.
And now, in the latest set of teasers from his reunion with the TV presenter, the 37-year-old has alleged that two senior figures at Old Trafford treated him with suspicion when he said his daughter , Bella, she was sick with bronchitis. – just three months after the death of his twin brother.
“I spoke to the manager and the chairman of Man Utd and they didn’t think anything was wrong, which made me feel bad,” Ronaldo told TalkTV.
Asked to confirm they didn’t believe him, Ronaldo continued: “They believe me but in the same way [shakes head]… I will never trade my family’s health for a football. Now, or 10 years back or forward.
What happened in the preseason?
- Ronaldo did not turn up for pre-season training at Carrington on July 4 and the rest of the internationals cited family reasons, an explanation which United said it accepted.
- He had found out a few days earlier, on July 2, that Ronaldo wanted to leave Old Trafford.
- It was unclear from United whether he would join the squad for the tour of Thailand and Australia on July 5, three days before his departure.
- The club later confirmed on 7 July that he would not be joining Ten Hag and his team on their tour, saying that Ronaldo had extra time off to deal with a family issue.
- Ronaldo has now clarified that his daughter, Bella, was in hospital with bronchitis.
- He says he was “hurt” when his behavior was allegedly treated as suspicious by senior United officials just three months after his twin brother’s death.
“And it’s something that really hurt me because they doubted my word that I was fighting, especially Bella and Geo [Georgina Rodriguez, Ronaldo’s girlfriend].
“We spent a week in hospital because Bella had a big problem and that’s why I didn’t go to pre-season.
“I didn’t want to leave my family for the pre-season because I didn’t think it was fair to leave my family for a pre-season. That’s why I didn’t go.”
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United We Stand editor Andy Mitten believes Manchester United have treated Cristiano Ronaldo fairly and there was no betrayal by the club towards the player as Ronaldo wanted to leave Old Trafford in the summer .
Man Utd not commenting on Ronaldo’s latest comments.
“The Glazers don’t care about Man Utd”
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Speaking to Piers Morgan on Talk TV, Cristiano Ronaldo slammed Glazer’s ownership of Manchester United, saying they “don’t care” about the club and also revealed he has never spoken to them.
Ronaldo has also said that Man Utd’s owners, the Glazers, do not care about the club’s sporting success.
The Glazers, who took ownership of the club in a leveraged buyout in 2005 – a deal that left United with more than £500m of debt – have been widely criticized by fans.
Ronaldo believes United’s current structure, with the Glazers at the helm, makes it unlikely the club will challenge for top honors in the coming years.
“The owners of the club, the Glazers, don’t care about the club. I mean professional sport. Manchester United is a marketing club, they get their money from marketing,” he added.
“They don’t really care about sports, in my opinion.”
Asked if he had spoken to the Glazers since returning, Ronaldo said: No, never.
“They give all the power to the president, to the sports director.
“The fans are always right. The fans have to know the truth. They have to know that the players want the best for the club, I want the best for the club.
“That’s why I came to Manchester United, that’s why I love this club, but you’ve got some things within the club that don’t help it get to the top level like City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal.
“It’s complicated, it’s difficult, it’s difficult. In my opinion, it will be difficult for Manchester United to be at the top of the game in the next two or three years.”
Ronaldo: Absolute focus in Portugal
Ronaldo has joined Portugal’s World Cup squad and insisted his “absolute focus” is on the national team amid furore over his interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored.
Ronaldo said on Twitter: “Total and absolute focus on national team work.
“A united group, towards a single goal: fulfilling the dream of all Portuguese people!”
Man Utd to take legal advice before making a decision on Ronaldo
Image: Ronaldo missed United’s 2-1 win against Fulham on Sunday
United will take legal advice before deciding how to respond to Ronaldo, but will await the publication of the full interview later this week before making any decision.
Sky Sports News understands Ten Hag and United players are extremely disappointed with the manner and timing of Ronaldo’s interview.
The club only learned of the interview as they prepared to return from London on Sunday evening after a 2-1 win against Fulham and are at a loss as to why he said what he said.
They are very disappointed that he disrespected the club, his manager and his teammates in this way and United are likely to consider all their options now regarding the player.
Ronaldo was told on Thursday that he would not be in the starting eleven against Fulham, but would have been in the squad. He told the club he was sick.