Ronaldo Accuses Manchester United of Betrayal

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after a goal he scored is disallowed during the Premier League match between Manchester United and West Ham United at Old Trafford in Manchester, UK, on Oct. 16, 2022. (David Klein/Reuters)

Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo says that the club have betrayed him and that he is being forced out, while he has no respect for manager Erik ten Hag.

Ronaldo rejoined United from Juventus for a second spell at Old Trafford in August 2021 on a two-year deal, returning to the club where he won eight major trophies from 2003–2009.

In an interview with Piers Morgan for TalkTV, released on Sunday, Ronaldo was asked whether United’s hierarchy were trying to push him out of the club.

“Yes, not only the coach [Ten Hag], but another two or three guys around the club. I felt betrayed,” he said.

“Yes I feel betrayed, and I felt some people don’t want me here, not just this year, but last year too.”

Last month, Ten Hag said Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur when the forward walked down the tunnel with a few minutes of the match remaining after being left on the bench.

He was then not part of the squad that faced Chelsea the following Saturday.

The 37-year-old forward, who will captain Portugal at the World Cup 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 going to have respect for you.”

After the Tottenham game, Ten Hag said that Ronaldo remained “an important player in the squad.”

United said earlier on Monday that they would address Ronaldo’s comments that he felt betrayed by the club and was being forced out only after establishing the full facts.

No Support

Ronaldo said United did not support him when his daughter was taken to hospital in July. He added that the Old Trafford club doubted him and showed a lack of empathy when he did not arrive on time for pre-season training.

“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,” Ronaldo told TalkTV.

“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.

“I am never going to change the health of my family for a football. Now, or 10 years behind or forward.”

Ronaldo added that he spent a week in hospital with his daughter and that his family struggled with everything that was happening.

Glazers Criticized

The Glazers have been criticized by United fans for not investing enough in the team, who have not won a trophy for five years. Ronaldo said he had never talked to the American owners.

“The Glazers, they don’t care about the club or professional sport. Manchester [United] is a marketing club,” he said.

“I want the best for the club. This is why I came to Manchester United and why I love the club.

“But you have some things inside that don’t help [us] reach the top level as [Manchester] 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 added that it would be difficult for United to be at the top of the game in the next two to three years

Ronaldo’s first spell was under former United manager Alex Ferguson, who retired in 2013. The Portuguese said Ferguson shares his view of the club.

“He knows. Everyone knows. The people who don’t see that ... it’s because they don’t want to see, they are blind.”