2022-11-18
Cristiano Ronaldoin full divorce with him Manchester Unitedstated that he had refused to enter the field during a match against the Tottenham because he felt “provoked” by the lack of respect from his technician Erik ten Hag.
CR7 assures that Manchester City was about to sign him
On October 19, the striker, who was listed as a substitute in the previous match report, refused to play and left Old Trafford prematurely, while his teammates beat Spurs 2-0. Devils’ reacted immediately by suspending him in the next game, which the team played against Chelsea.
In the last part of the explosive interview with Piers Morganthe Portuguese international reflected on the facts that illustrate his tensions with the Old Trafford team.
WHAT DRIVES YOU, MONEY OR THE COMPETITION?
“The adrenaline. But in recent years football has changed. I see football now as a business, to be honest. Sometimes Georgina’s expression is ‘I don’t understand how they treat players like a piece of meat’. I say: ‘Yes, everything you say is true.’ I see football in recent years as a business. There are things that disappoint me, but the passion for the game is still intact. I see other things as well that surprised me, but it’s part of the business, because if you see the world, how it is at the moment, it’s all business.”
THE LATEST REVIEWS
“The reviews were very bad, both professionally and in my family life. People made me look like a bad guy, that’s why I’m giving this interview. I want to say what I think. What they have said is rubbish. People have told lies.”
THE UNITED DID NOT BELIEVE HIM
“I had a very bad preseason. I had some problems on vacation, where one of my children had bronchitis. I was in Majorca and had to spend a week in the hospital. People made up stories that I wanted to travel. People need to realize that I am a human being and I want to be with my family. I am a human being and I went through difficult times. I spoke to the director and president of United and they kind of didn’t believe something was going on. I will never trade my family’s health for soccer. Never. That really hurt me. They doubted my words. We spent a week in the hospital because of Bella’s problems. I didn’t go to preseason because of that. It wasn’t fair to leave my family to do the preseason.”
THE DOUBTS HURT
“Football moves very fast…pre-season, we have the World Cup now and after three or four days after the last club game you are preparing for the World Cup. The press doubted me, the professional that I am. They doubted me, which made me very, very sad.”
THE DISPLACEMENT AGAINST TOTTENHAM
“I’m going to be honest, it’s something I regret, leaving the stadium (against Tottenham). Probably, or maybe not, I don’t know. It’s hard to tell you 100%, but let’s say I regret it, but in the same way I felt provoked by the coach. It is not allowed for a coach to put me in for three minutes in a match. Sorry, I’m not that kind of player. I know what I can give to the team”.
HE ALSO LEFT AHEAD OF TIME AGAINST RAYO (FRIENDLY)
“Eight players and I got out early, but they only mentioned my name…they all did that. Last year many players did the same. In that game, eight players did the same thing but they only talk about the black sheep that is me. I totally get it. It’s fine, it’s done, I apologize to the coach and for me, the chapter was closed.
HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH TEN HAG
“Empathy is not good. I don’t think he respects me as I should deserve it. It is what it is. That’s probably why I went against Tottenham. I like honest people who respect my morals. What has happened in the last two months has not been respect, in many ways. I regret leaving against Tottenham before the end.”
TEN HAG DID NOT TAKE IT OUT AGAINST MANCHESTER CITY
“Excuses, I see it as excuses. I saw a lot of things that I don’t want to criticize him for. He may have different opinions than mine. He picks the players that he thinks are best for the team. I respect that, but you make excuses all the time, you know, excuses have short legs and you can’t make excuses all the time, which are things that don’t make sense. You don’t put me against Manchester City out of respect for my career and you want to put me three minutes against Tottenham. Has no sense. I think he did it on purpose because, for example, in a national team and in other clubs, if the coach wants to give me five minutes, if someone is injured or if he really needs me, I help him. But in that way I felt provoked not only by that match, but before.”
EXPELLED FROM THE SQUAD AGAINST CHELSEA
“I think it was a club strategy for me to react in this way. I was very, very disappointed with the communication from Manchester United. To be honest, I never had a problem with any club, with any manager. And they suspended me for three days, which I felt was a lot. It was a shame.”
HOW DID YOU EXPLAIN IT TO YOUR SON?
“I remember that I got home and Cristiano Jr. saw me and said: ‘Dad, aren’t you going to the game?’ I tell him: ‘No, because the club punishes me with three days’. And he tells me between laughs: ‘How are they going to punish you if you’re the best player in the world and you’re not going to play?’ I told him, ‘No, I’m not going to play because I haven’t been behaving.’ And he looked at me like, ‘My dad doesn’t behave, what?’
“In some ways, it was okay because I was more relaxed, but in the same way, I feel very disappointed because, okay, I regret it, I apologize, I’m not perfect, I made a mistake. But suspending me for three games I think it’s too much. And then they set fire for the press, which really disappointed me. Don’t tell me that the best players, those who want everything, the key players, will play three minutes… Come on, this is unacceptable after what they said before, that they respect me, that they do this, they do that. For me it was not respect, that’s why I made this decision that I regret. I apologized to my teammates for the situation, I made a post on Instagram saying that I regretted leaving the stadium. My colleagues know that I felt it and I apologized, but in the same way I do not regret having made the decision not to enter. The coach had no respect for me. So that’s why the relationship is like that. He keeps saying in the press that he comes to me, he likes me, blah blah blah, but that’s just for the press, 100%. If you don’t have respect for me, I’ll never have respect for you.”
THE GLAZERS, OWNERS OF UNITED
“The owners don’t care about the club. As you know, United is a marketing club. They will get money from that, but they don’t really get it from the sport. I haven’t talked to them since I got back. The players want the best from the club, that’s why I came back and that’s why I love the club. But things within the club don’t help United reach the highest level like City and Liverpool. Or Arsenal now, for example. It will be difficult for Manchester United to be at the top of football for the next two or three years with this structure.”
THE CRITICISMS OF GARY NEVILLE
“They don’t see the big picture. Why did I react like this? Behind the spotlights I was probably provoked. Don’t tell me that the best players, the key players, play three minutes. This is unacceptable. It was not respectful. I apologized to my colleagues for the situation in an Instagram post. My colleagues knew what I felt and I apologized. If you don’t have respect for me, I won’t have respect for you.”