In an interview, the Portuguese raises serious allegations against his club’s staff. He does not want to have known the German coach Rangnick before.
Now a rare picture: Cristiano Ronaldo in a Manchester United jersey.
There are many ways to settle a conflict. Discreet, behind the scenes so that only a gentle crunch escapes – this is undoubtedly the form most often used in professional football.
However, if a conflict is to be carried out publicly, or even to expand it, then an interview is an option: Details can be expressed, accusations formulated and claims addressed. The effect is usually huge. Because the statements often have a certain sensational value.
Cristiano Ronaldo chose the latter path to escalate the conflict with his employer Manchester United. Over the weekend, the Manchester United attacker answered questions from CNN journalist Piers Morgan for a full hour and a half. Morgan is a prominent figure who is also known for his closeness to Donald Trump. The “kicker” then made him a “controversial” journalist.
He’s just a supporting character
In any case, the result of the conversation is quite remarkable. It revealed how deep the rift between Ronaldo and the club is, but especially the gap between coach Erik ten Hag and the Portuguese. Because Ronaldo has only been a minor figure in the Dutchman’s system for some time, if at all.
There is always speculation about his departure from Manchester, but the hurdles are not small. After all, where should a man go with his reputation if he doesn’t want to scale down his demands, both sporting and financial, excessively?
Clear words: Ronaldo in an interview.
In any case, Ronaldo said he felt “betrayed” in Manchester, like an outcast. “Two or three people around the club” tried to force him out of the club. De facto, however, the temporary suspension by ten Hag amounts to the same thing, which is why Ronaldo does not spare criticism of the coach: “I have no respect for him because he shows no respect for me. If you don’t respect me, I will never respect you.”
Ronaldo’s handling of the situation is rigorous. He called in sick after being told recently he would not start against Fulham.
The Dutchman ten Hag, who had earned an excellent reputation at Ajax Amsterdam, is not the only coach with whom friction has arisen. Although Ronaldo spoke commendably about the long-sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. But even the German Ralf Rangnick found no mercy in front of the eyes of the multiple world footballer. “If you’re not even a manager, how can you be the boss of Manchester United? I had never heard of him.”
To claim that you have never heard of Ralf Rangnick and to assume that he is not a coach at all: In view of the reputation that Rangnick enjoys in the not so small football nation of Germany, that is to be understood as the ultimate malice. Now it cannot be ruled out that Ronaldo gave Rangnick his lack of appreciation to understand – and Rangnick in turn reacted as if he only knew Ronaldo from hearsay.
In any case, Rangnick’s system was not tailored to Ronaldo; different than he would have wished.
Failure follows a pattern
Ronaldo’s move to the public can be understood as an announcement of a breakup. His failure in Manchester, however, follows a pattern. It would therefore be wrong to regard him as the sole culprit for the escalation. Because Manchester United is no longer a thriving biotope, signing a contract in the former dream destination is more like a career obstacle.
Jadon Sancho, the talented former Dortmund winger, managed to gamble away his World Cup appearance with the English team in Manchester. Ever since Alex Ferguson, United’s legendary manager, retired, the club have been struggling to find staff and concepts that enable continuity. Ronaldo also addresses this, quantifying the progress towards zero.
Erik ten Hag is certainly not an incompetent character; his renunciation of Ronaldo at least shows a certain ability to deal with conflict. However, Cristiano Ronaldo is not the first world star to get lost at Manchester United. Paul Pogba did not have an easy time, Bastian Schweinsteiger, put off by Pep Guardiola in Munich, gave in to the wooing of his promoter Louis van Gaal and signed in Manchester.
It can be assumed that Schweinsteiger regretted this decision, because the change of coach from van Gaal to José Mourinho heralded the end of Schweinsteiger’s career in European club football. Schweinsteiger endured his martyrdom without complaint and without any blame. When Mourinho made an emergency substitution for the one-time midfielder, whom he had long ignored, the Old Trafford crowd rose from their seats to applaud. It was a fitting farewell to a great player who was also always a character actor on the field.
How Cristiano Ronaldo will say goodbye to Manchester is anyone’s guess. It could very well be the back exit.