Portuguese international footballer Cristiano Ronaldo will leave Manchester United “with immediate effect” and by mutual agreement, the English club announced on Tuesday, following an interview in which the forward said he felt “betrayed” and disrespected.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is leaving Manchester United, by mutual agreement, with immediate effect. The club thanks him for his immense contribution over two spells at Old Trafford, with 145 goals in 346 games, and wishes him and his family all the best for the future,” the ‘red devils’ wrote in a short statement released today.
Before joining the Portuguese team, which is in Qatar to compete in the World2022, the captain of the Portuguese team gave an interview in which he criticised the club, and the coach, Erik ten Hag, at length and revealed feeling “betrayed” and disrespected by the club he returned in 2021, after a first passage (2003-2009), already after representing Real Madrid and Juventus.
“Everyone at the club remains focused on continuing the team’s progress with Erik ten Hag and working together to achieve success on the pitch,” the note read.
Manchester United, in which the Portuguese players Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes also play, said in previous statements they were studying the “appropriate steps” to respond to Ronaldo’s statements in an interview released last week, which followed a troubled few months at the club.
The second and final part of Cristiano Ronaldo’s interview with English journalist Piers Morgan was broadcast on 17 November.
“I don’t know if I should say this, but I don’t care. People should hear the truth: yes, I felt betrayed, and I felt that some people didn’t want me here, not only this season but also last season,” Ronaldo declared.
According to the 37-year-old forward, “it is not only the coach”, Erik ten Hag, who does not want the player in the squad but also “two or three at the club”, clarifying, afterwards, that he was referring to directors and reinforcing that he felt “betrayed”.
The striker missed the last two games of the ‘red devils’ and is in Qatar to captain the Portuguese national team.
In all, he has played 16 games and scored three goals for the English club this season, after he scored 24 goals in 38 matches in 2021/22, the season he returned to Manchester.
In the long interview, he declared that he has no respect for the manager, as he considers that he does not respect him.
This has been a ‘problematic’ season for Ronaldo, who returned to United, where he first played between 2003 and 2009, before spells at Real Madrid (2009-2018) and Juventus (2018-2021), having started his career at Sporting.
In the summer, his possible departure from the club was the main topic of discussion in the transfer market. When it did not materialise, he promised to give an interview to clarify the matter.
Since then, his performance on the pitch has been intermittent, between starting, benching and missing out on the squad, as when he was removed from first-team training for leaving a game still in progress, having refused to be used as a substitute.
With 191 senior caps for Portugal and 117 goals, he has scored 145 goals for Manchester United in 346 appearances, 451 for Real Madrid in ‘only’ 438 matches and five for Sporting in 31 games.
Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to lead Portugal into their Group H opener against Ghana on Thursday Thursday at Doha’s Stadium 974.