Ronaldo Says He Feels 'Betrayed' by Manchester United

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Facts

  • In a Sunday interview with Piers Morgan for TalkTV, soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo said he feels "betrayed" by his current team, Manchester United, and alleged that senior figures from the club are trying to force him out.
  • The 37-year-old forward said, "I feel betrayed, and I felt some people don’t want me here, not just this year, but last year too."
  • Ronaldo added that he doesn't respect current manager Erik ten Hag, saying, "I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me. If you don’t respect me, I’m never gonna have respect for you."
  • Ronaldo’s comments come after the five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or received little playing time after his return to United at the beginning of last season. Last month, he reportedly refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur which led to him being dropped from the team for the next game.
  • In the 90-minute interview, Ronaldo also alleged the club treated him with suspicion when he said his new-born daughter was ill, three months after her twin brother died during delivery. He also accused the Glazer family, the American owners of United, of not caring about the team, simply about the money.
  • United issued a short statement on Monday, saying, "the club will consider its response after the full facts have been established," as ten Hag met with the club's executives to discuss the situation.

Sources: BBC News, CNN, Al Jazeera, MSN, and Mirror.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Daily Mail. Ten Hag and United thought their disagreements with Ronaldo were in the past after the Tottenham incident. Now that he’s taken his grievances public — demoralizing his teammates with his comments — Ronaldo must go.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Football 365. If Ronaldo, possibly the greatest player ever, and Ten Hag had an agreement that the manager has broken, then Ronaldo has every right to voice his concerns. It sounds like he was even coaxed out of leaving the team by a false promise that he would be used more this season. Hag is the party in the wrong here.