Introduction

November 13, 2022, the whole world woke up to a snippet of an interview between Christiano Ronaldo and Piers Morgan, where the Manchester United forward made a number of damning claims about his current stint as a Manchester United player. The full interview has since been released, a link to which is provided below. This essay is borne out of my review of the interview. In the interview, Ronaldo berated the club, Ralf Rangnick, the Club’s immediate past German handler, and the current coach, Eric ten Hag, the state of the club’s stadium and facilities, among others.

Ronaldo in Manchester United’s History

History teaches invaluable lessons. As a Manchester United fan, I remember vividly how Ronaldo came to United and how he departed for Real Madrid. I also have not forgotten how he returned to United. In case there are people out there who are unaware of how Ronaldo first left, a brief recap here would suffice.

In 2008, Ronaldo put in a request to leave Manchester United for Real Madrid and Manchester United refused to accede to his request, preferring to up his contract instead. He went on to talk to the media, accusing United of treating him “like a slave”. United had to release him from his contract and sold him at 100 million British Pounds, a world record for the time. He left for Real Madrid FC, where he spent nine years and won both club and individual medals.

The ‘CR7’, as Ronaldo is famously called, is put together and brought to global attention under Sir Alexander Ferguson (SAF), a man Ronaldo called his father, at Manchester United. This is vital on two grounds. On the one hand, without United, there might not have been a CR7 as we know him today. I will return to the second one later but suffice here to say that Ralf Rangnick – the German professional football coach, executive and former player who currently manages the Austria national team, like Sir Alexander Ferguson – the man Ronaldo called ‘his father’ and the man who made him what he is today, was NEVER a coach. I will return to this issue shortly.

Two years ago, Ronaldo was announced in the media as willing to sign for Manchester City, Manchester United’s city rival, when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (OGS), then Manchester United’s coach, intervened to bring Ronaldo back to Manchester United. As at the time, Ronaldo told the world that his return to United was motivated by his love for the club. In his interview with Piers Morgan, he not only admitted to have lied about his return, but also revealed that his heart was with Manchester City and was at the threshold of signing for Manchester City when Sir Alex Ferguson prevailed over him and he returned to United instead.

Berating Ralf Rangnick and Eric ten Hag

In the interview, Ronaldo berated Manchester United over the appointment of Ralf Rangnick. Speaking specifically of Ralf, Ronaldo noted: “I’ve never heard of him.” He then went on to add that Ralf was never a coach. Ronaldo, on many occasions, have described Sir Alex Ferguson as the best coach he has ever worked with. It is therefore strange to hear Ronaldo berating Manchester United for employing Ralf who, as Ronaldo noted, was not a coach. Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo’s best coach, was never a coach. So also, Carlos Ancelotti and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. What therefore made the appointment of Ralf by United wrong? In addition, what is Ronaldo getting at with this? Is he saying that United ought only to have appointed coaches as Managers? Were both Ferguson and Ancelotti not the two best coaches under whom Ronaldo had thrived most? Rangnick, like both Ferguson and Ancelotti, is not a coach. Contrary to Ronaldo’s criticism, Ralf was and still is a man of great reputation in the game and his record of building clubs speaks eloquently than what the likes of Ronaldo can fathom.

Clearly Ronaldo has something else in his head when he was granting the interview, as Eric ten Hag, United’s current manager, is a coach and his records at Ajax is as superb as those of the likes of Zinedine Zidane who also coached and led Ronaldo to success at Real Madrid. So, what the heck is wrong with Eric and why did Ronaldo loudly declare that he cannot respect Eric? Perhaps Ronaldo has something against Eric that he has not voiced out.

Respect, as they say, is reciprocal. Ronaldo had no respect for Ralf because he was not a coach. He also does not respect Eric, the man who treated him with the greatest courtesy when his daughter was sick and later died and who did not want to humiliate him – Ronaldo, by not throwing him into the game against Manchester City when United had already conceded six goals. Like a kid who lost his toy, Ronaldo is begrudging Eric for not allowing him to stroll onto the pitch at the beginning of the season like a god despite that he did not participate in the preseason games. Ronaldo disliked Eric for not falling into the trap of “Ronaldo is undroppable” that ended Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s coaching career at Old Trafford! Ronaldo is begrudging Eric because Eric dared to treat Ronaldo like other Manchester United’s players!

Ronaldo wouldn’t stop at berating Ralf and Eric; he also was quick to add the fact that Old Trafford had not seen any significant improvement since Sir Alex left. What is new about what Ronaldo is talking about that we did not already know? Was it that there was no improvement, no evolution, no title at Manchester United since the departure of SAF? As United fans, don’t we all know these? How long have we been complaining about these? Yes, Carrington is decrepit and lacks many of the cutting-edge facilities that make for a modern stadium. How has any of these prevented Ronaldo from joining his mates after a soccer game that he left before the final whistle? Is any of these the reason Ronaldo refused to play at Tottenham?

So, why is Ronaldo bringing up the state of Old Trafford in his interview with Piers? Was it to justify his desire to leave United for the second time? Or to justify why his return was originally to Manchester City? Or was it to force his ways out of the club in January of 2023?

Claim of Betrayal

Ronaldo is Portuguese, so I am not disappointed on his poor choice of words here. To be ‘betrayed’ is different from being let down. To betray is to expose, for instance, one’s secret, one’s country, a group, or another person, to danger by treacherously giving information away to an enemy. It could also be understood as to unintentionally reveal or provide evidence of something to another person. I think someone needs to tell Ronaldo that his desire to join Manchester City is an act of betrayal. If Manchester United’s refusal to let him go or not making him the focus of its play is what he is considering as an act of betrayal, he is wrong. Much as that might qualify as a letdown, when viewed from the perspective of football being a team sport that determines winner based on goal scored, then, Manchester United has neither let Ronaldo down not betrayed him.

Alternatively, was he begrudging Eric for playing young boys and, inadvertently, making it known to the world that he, Ronaldo, is not as good as he once were?

Not only did Ronaldo betray United by his desire and efforts to join Manchester City, his sit-down with Piers Morgan to talk about United was a betrayal of trust.

Another claim of Ronaldo is that he was being made a black sheep – a scapegoat. This claim shows how poor Ronaldo was in his assessment of how fundamental his presence in the club was. Eric ten Hag left no one in doubt that he, Ronaldo was in the plan. He gave him opportunities but United got nothing in return. Under Ralf, there were rumors of three players being divisive and Ralf was said to have counseled that United should get rid of them. When Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba left, many in the media heaved a sigh of relief, arguing that the other monster in the club won’t have the capacity to do further harm. Could the third monster be Ronaldo? If not, his posturing, refusal to play, utterances about spilling the beans in August, and the current interview with Piers Morgan point in that direction.

If Ronaldo felt scapegoated for United’s lackluster performance, we all can empathize with him, as we might have expected more from him. It is however strange that when we cut our ambition to size and looked out elsewhere for solution that Ronaldo is crying foul. You cannot eat your cake and have it at the same time. Just as you have a right to dislodge an inconvenient load, we also have a right to look elsewhere for a willing and able shoulder to dump our ambition.

Just as Ronaldo was blunt to call out others, are we also not at liberty to call him out? What the heck is Ronaldo’s relevance in the present Manchester United squad? Cristiano Ronaldo tried to leave in the summer, we know he will try to leave again because he was not the focus of attention at United.

Claims of People Wanting Him Out

As Ronaldo noted in his interview with Piers Morgan: “Not only the coach. There are two or three other guys around. I feel betrayed … People should listen to the truth. Yes, I feel betrayed that some people don’t want me here. And it’s not just this year, but last year too.”

Claims are easy to make, but for claims to stick, they must be backed up with evidence. Where is the evidence to substantiate this claim? As the saying goes, “words are words, but actions are actions”. The keyword in his interview is that he felt betrayed because people wanted him out. Who were these people and what were their actions? Was it the manager than wanted him out? Clearly not, as the manager did everything within his power to keep him. He stood up to the press, arguing repeatedly that Ronaldo was in his plans. Were there players in the club that wanted him out? It is possible.

Robin van Persie – formerly of Arsenal FC and Manchester United’s flying Dutchman who is currently a Dutch football coach, noted that when he wanted to sign for Manchester United, he specifically asked to be allowed to speak with other players in the club. Rumor had it that he was afraid that the likes of Wayne Rooney might not want him. As he claimed, he signed for United when he was convinced that players in the club wanted him. So, if this is anything to learn from, chances are that there might be some individuals in the club that did not want Ronaldo. However, given Ronaldo’s legendary status, I do not think this should matter to Ronaldo. Sadly, from the interview, it is clear that Ronaldo is fazed by some club members who might have played more games, scored more goals, and have won more trophies for Manchester United than him. What a shame!!!!

United Fans and Christiano Ronaldo

If Ronaldo cared so much about Manchester United’s fans, one would expect him to air his views on the Glazers in the interview with Piers. In his own words: “For me, fans are everything. I gave this interview because I think it’s the right time to speak my mind.” What is Ronaldo talking about? Where was he in the last two games? Was he at Old Trafford, cheering up the lads? He was with the most odious personality, Pierce Morgan, granting a 90-minute interview while a kid like Alejandro Garnacho was doing the job for which Ronaldo was employed – rescuing United at crucial games. What Ronaldo did is absolutely unforgivable and the only people that should claim being betrayed are the Manchester United fans that Ronaldo claimed to care so much about in his interview.

Ronaldo, as the interview revealed, does not care either for Manchester United or the club’s fans. If he cared as he had claimed, why was he going to Manchester City and had to be prevailed over by Sir Alex Ferguson?

Certainly, Ronaldo is not speaking up for the fans. This is not about the Glazers. Yes, Ronaldo did note that the Glazers were only interested in gains without any meaningful investment in the club. Is this Ronaldo’s condemnation of the Glazers? If Ronaldo knew that the Glazers’ handling of Manchester United is not good enough, why did he wait till now? For the record, Ronaldo said no word about the way and manner the Glazers ran Manchester United these last 17 years. So, this interview is not about the Glazer thing. It is about everything Ronaldo.

Manchester United: Players and Staff

Ronaldo undermines Manchester United. Ronaldo undermines Eric ten Hag, Manchester United’s manager. Ronaldo undermines Manchester United’s fans. It was Sir Alexander Ferguson, the greatest Manager of all time, who once said concerning Manchester United: “When a player thinks he’s bigger than the club, it’s time for him to go.” There are two steps before Manchester United now – either terminate Ronaldo’s contract and pay him off so as not to spoil the new momentum of the club under the new manager, Eric ten Hag or wait till Ronaldo’s contract expires and let him leave.

Ronaldo was Manchester United’s making. He is not bigger than the Club. Eric ten Hag is Manchester United’s preferred coach and no player, not matter his or her real or imagined greatness, is greater than either the coach or the club.

Christiano Ronaldo’s interview with Piers Morgan is not in any way different from Donald Trump’s interview with Maggie Haberman, which formed the ingredients for the writing of “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America”. Ronaldo is “another confidence man” but rather than the making of Christiano Ronaldo, it is about the unmaking of him. Also, rather than the unmaking of Manchester United, it is about the remaking of the great club.

Link to Ronaldo’s interview with Piers Morgan