(Football news) In an explosive interview with Piers Morgan for The Sun, Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed that some members of the Manchester United hierarchy doubted the player when he was unavailable for pre-season due to his daughter’s illness and has claimed that the Glazer family don’t care about the club. The 37 year old has expressed that Manchester United have betrayed him after trying to force him out and has said that he has “no respect” for Erik ten Hag in the first few clips of a 90 minute interview.
Ronaldo has also lashed out at former teammate Wayne Rooney and former interim manager Ralf Rangnick, while also saying that there has been a lack of progress at the club since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. In a continuation of the interview, Ronaldo has sensationally claimed that two senior figures at Old Trafford treated him with suspicion when his daughter Bella was hospitalised due to bronchitis, just three months after her twin brother passed away.
Speaking to TalkTV, Ronaldo said “I spoke with the director and the president of Man Utd and they kind of didn't believe that something was going wrong, which made me feel bad. They believe me but in the same way [shakes head]… I am never going to change the health of my family for football. Now, 10 years behind or forward. And it is something that really hurt me because they doubted my word that I was struggling, especially Bella and Geo [Georgina Rodriguez, Ronaldo's girlfriend]. We had one week in the hospital because Bella had a big problem and I didn't go to the pre-season because of that. I didn't want to leave my family to do the pre-season because I didn't think it was fair to leave my family for a pre-season. This is why I didn't go."
Ronaldo has also claimed that the Glazer family don’t care about the club’s success, which means that it’s unlikely for Manchester United to compete for top honours in the near future. "The owners of the club – the Glazers – they don't care about the club. I mean professional sport. Manchester United is a marketing club, they get their money from the marketing," he added. They don't really care (about sports) in my opinion. They give all the power to the president, the sporting director.
“The fans are always right. The fans should know the truth. They should know that the players want the best for the club, I want the best for the club. This is why I came to Manchester United, this is why I love this club but you have some things inside the club which doesn't help it reach the top level as City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal. It is complicated, it's difficult, it's hard. In my opinion, it will be hard for Manchester United to be top of the game in the next two or three years."
When asked about former teammate Wayne Rooney’s criticism, Ronaldo said “I don't understand, you should ask this question to him. I don't know why he criticised me so badly.” When asked if jealousy might be a factor, the 37 year old said “Probably, because he finished his career in his 30s. I'm still playing at a high level, I'm not going to say that I'm looking better than him, which is true. It's hard to listen to that kind of criticism and negativity from people who played with you, for example Gary Neville as well.
"People can have their own opinion but they don't really know what's going on inside the training ground at Carrington or even my life. They should listen to not only one point of view, they have to listen to my point of view as well. It's easy to criticise but if you don't know the whole story, it's easy. They are not my friends. It's easy to criticise, I don't know if they have a job in television that they must criticise to be more famous. I really don't understand it. I think they take advantage of [my name] because they are not stupid. I have to carry on my life with criticism. It's hard when you see people who were in the dressing room with you criticise in that way. I'm not going to sleep badly because of the criticism but it's not good to listen to that."
A statement released by Manchester United said “The club will consider its response after the full facts have been established. Our focus remains on preparing for the second half of the season and continuing the momentum, belief and togetherness being built among the players, manager, staff, and fans.” The club are currently seeking legal advice before giving a response and are waiting for the full interview to be released before taking any decision. Ten Hag and the players are understood to be extremely disappointed with Ronaldo’s interview and it’s unlikely that the player will ever play for Manchester United again.
Also read: Ronaldo has “no respect” for Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag
