Former England cricket star Kevin Pietersen has come to the defence of Cristiano Ronaldo after the Man Utd man's controversial interview with Piers Morgan.
Ronaldo appeared to burn a number of bridges during the interview, with broadcaster Gary Lineker saying he couldn't see a way back for the player at Old Trafford. He criticised United's training facilities, while also taking aim at manager Erik ten Hag among others.
Pietersen had previously tweeted about having sympathies with the Portugal international, suggesting he had found himself in a similar position. And now, in his own interview with Morgan, the 42-year-old has sided with the veteran footballer while taking aim at United's facilities himself.
"What you could see is he’s actually very unhappy in a place that he should be happy," Pietersen told Piers Morgan Uncensored. "Forget disrespect, I hate the word disrespect.
"There are two places when you are in a cauldron and you are a top athlete, right at the top of your game and you should feel comfortable, and you should be able to do what you want because that’s where you should be free. That’s at home with your family, and the second place is at the training ground. You can see he’s unhappy at the training ground.
"He is such a proven performer, but you can see his frustration and you can identify the issues. He goes back to a facility that’s not up to scratch. He goes to a facility where he wants to be the best, and where he wants to maintain standards.
"I think that he is at that level where he commands respect because of what he’s achieved in the game. I think he’s the greatest footballer that’s played the game - he turns the needle, that’s what he does."
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Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford in 2021 after 12 years away. He finished the 2021-22 season as United's top scorer but was unable to help the team earn a top-four finish, and reportedly pushed for an exit over the summer.
The Carrington training facilities were one of the targets of Ronaldo's interview, with the veteran expressing his "surprise" at the standards. He spent time at Real Madrid and Juventus in between his two stints at Old Trafford and explained his stance when speaking to Morgan.
“At United, the progress was zero, in my opinion," Ronaldo said. "To compare with Real Madrid and even Juventus, that they follow the rest of the world, so the technology, especially in terms of training, nutrition and conditions of, eat properly and to recover better than before - surprised me.
“Manchester right now to compare with that club, I think it's behind in my opinion, which is something that surprised me. A club with this dimension should be the top of the tree in my opinion and they are not, unfortunately. They are not in that level. But I hope the next years they can reach to be in a top level.”
