Ronaldo says he feels ‘betrayed’ in clip from ‘most explosive interview he’s ever given’
Cristiano Ronaldo has given one of the most explosive interviews of his entire career having endured a turbulent start to the 2022/23 campaign.
On the back of Manchester United‘s worst ever Premier League season, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner sought to cut his reunion with the Old Trafford club short in the summer by angling for a move to a Champions League side.
As we know, that never actually transpired, but Ronaldo‘s troubles certainly weren’t assuaged by the passing of Deadline Day as new manager Erik ten Hag hasn’t consistently named in his starting XI.
How has Ronaldo played this season?
As such, upon the conclusion of the first half of the Premier League season, making way for the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo finds himself in unfamiliar territory with just one goal in the competition.
A pair of strikes have come in the Europa League to bring his overall tally for the season to three, but all in all, the 2022/23 campaign has marked a crushing low for Ronaldo at the top level.
Marry that to the controversy of his decision to leave the bench and stadium before full-time of United’s win against Tottenham Hotspur – leading to his suspension from the first-team next time out – and it really has been a tumultuous few months for the Portuguese icon.
What did Ronaldo say to Piers Morgan?
And after it all, Ronaldo took the stunning decision to speak to Piers Morgan in an eye-opening interview that was partially released to the surprise of football fans on Sunday night.
On the same evening as United’s final Premier League match before the World Cup break, which Ronaldo missed through illness, the 37-year-old delivered what Morgan branded as “the most explosive interview he’s ever given.”
And the early evidence of the full conversation, which will hit television screens later in the week, certainly didn’t disappoint as a remarkable clip shows him declaring that he felt ‘betrayed’ by the Premier League giants.
Video: Ronaldo on feeling ‘betrayed’ at Man Utd
“I feel betrayed.”
EXCLUSIVE: Cristiano Ronaldo tells Piers Morgan he feels like he’s being forced out of Manchester United in an explosive interview.
90 Minutes with Ronaldo. Wednesday and Thursday at 8pm on TalkTV.@cristiano | @piersmorgan | @TalkTV | #PMU pic.twitter.com/nqp4mcXHB0
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) November 13, 2022
Another clip then followed in its wake, showing Ronaldo speaking with brutal honesty about how he feels United has been moving in the wrong direction since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
Video: Ronaldo discusses Man Utd in the post-Ferguson era
“Since Sir Alex Ferguson left I saw no evolution in the club, the progress was zero.”
Don’t miss Piers Morgan’s 90 Minutes with Ronaldo. Wednesday and Thursday at 8pm on TalkTV.@cristiano | @piersmorgan | @TalkTV | #PMU pic.twitter.com/VextyEu7f9
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) November 13, 2022
However, there was even more head-spinning snippets to emerge from the interview as part of Morgan’s write-up in The Sun, which featured quotes from Ronaldo taking aim at Ten Hag, Ralf Rangnick and Wayne Rooney.
You can check some of the most eye-catching quotes to have been released so far down below…
What did Ronaldo say about Ten Hag?
“I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me. If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never gonna have respect for you.
“If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never gonna have respect for you.”
What did Ronaldo say about Rangnick?
“If you’re not even a coach, how are you going to be the boss of Manchester United? I’d never even heard of him.”
What did Ronaldo say about Rooney?
“I don’t know why he criticises me so badly . . . probably because he finished his career and I’m still playing at high level.”
He’s then said to have jovially added with a chuckle: “I’m not going to say that I’m looking better than him. Which is true…”
What did Ronaldo say about Man Utd?
“I think the fans should know the truth. I want the best for the club. This is why I come 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.”
What did Ronaldo say about Sir Alex Ferguson?
“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.”
Where does Ronaldo go from here?
It is, truth be told, nothing short of staggering that Ronaldo would be dropping comments of this nature while he still has time left to run on his contract at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’.
It’s hard to imagine how Ronaldo could ever play another game of football under Ten Hag and his regime having now given an interview that speaks with such open criticism of his leadership.
While, of course, it would be rash to draw too many conclusions until the full interview goes live, it’s clear to establish from so many of the soundbites released already that his position at United is now completely untenable.
And perhaps most shocking of all is the fact that there could still be more to come when Ronaldo’s chat with Morgan is aired in its entirety. Strap yourselves in, folks.