Cristiano Ronaldo is making the front and the back pages for the aftermath from his groundbreaking interview with Piers Morgan. The full feature airs later this week across Wednesday and Thursday but the soundbites that are coming out have left Manchester United shell shocked.
It seems that Ronaldo has left no stone unturned in his quest to get his side of the story out. He has had a turbulent start to the season and he wants to set the record straight, attacking current people at United, ex team-mates and former coaches.
The Manchester Evening News looks at the top five takeaways from what has been released from the Piers Morgan interview so far.
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United 'want him out'
United worked hard to bring Ronaldo back to Old Trafford in 2021 but Ronaldo suggests that not everything was rosy from the very outset. The attacker called out dissenters from boardroom level and claims that they are now in the process of forcing him out of the club.
He fumed: "Honestly, I shouldn't say that... don't know... But listen I don't care, I'm always... People should listen to the truth. Yes, I feel betrayed and I feel that some people don't want me here, not only this year but last year, too."
No respect for Ten Hag
Erik ten Hag has won a lot of praise for his strong start at United but Ronaldo is not in that fan camp. In fact, the 37-year-old has a strong disliking to his current boss.
Ronaldo refused to come off the bench in United's victory over Tottenham a few weeks ago in what highlighted a major signal of division between player and coach. This upcoming interview merely exacerbates that tension, with Ronaldo declaring that he has "no respect" for Ten Hag.
"I don't have respect for him because he doesn't show respect for me," Ronaldo told Morgan. "If you don't have respect for me, I'm never gonna have respect for you."
Rooney 'jealousy'
One of the more bizarre takes that came out of the interview was Ronaldo's attack on former teammate Wayne Rooney. The D.C. United manager labelled Ronaldo as an "unnecessary distraction" in recent weeks and those words clearly riled the Portuguese.
"I don't know why he criticises me so badly," Ronaldo questioned. "Probably because he finished his career and I'm still playing at high level. I'm not going to say that I'm looking better than him. Which is true!"
The stinging personal attack on Rooney's appearance suggests that there is no room for sentimentality between these two footballing legends.
Their off-the-pitch animosities started back in 2006 when Ronaldo rejoiced in getting Rooney sent off in a key World Cup match between England and Portgual. The bad blood remains!
Never heard of Rangnick
Many thought United had been smart with the appointment of Ralf Rangnick on an interim contract. The German has been highlighted as a key influence on the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel.
However, Ronaldo was less of a fan. He was quick to point out Rangnick's lack of recent coaching experience and continually referred to him as a "sporting director".
“If you’re not even a coach, how are you going to be the boss of Manchester United? I’d never even heard of him," Ronaldo said.
On the decision to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with Rangnick, Ronaldo added: "This surprised not only me but also all the world."
Such language suggests that Ronaldo had already made up his mind on Rangnick before his arrival in December. His time at Old Trafford was defined by mixed results and such dressing room challenges with the likes of Ronaldo could highlight the reason for those troubles.
Ferguson fury
One person Ronaldo has a strong relationship with is his former manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. The Scot was seen as a key cog in Ronaldo's growth to being one of the game's greatest players of all time.
Given Ferguson's longevity at the club, his opinion is absolutely worth listening to and Ronaldo claims that he is not best pleased with the way the club is being governed.
Ronaldo admitted: "He knows better than anybody that the club is not on the path they deserve to be. He knows. Everyone knows. The people who don't see that… it's because they don't want to see; they are blind."
These feelings echo those of Ronaldo himself, who goes onto say that many things around the club are old-fashioned, including the gym, the technology and the chefs.
He even noted that the same chefs are still around from his first time at the club! "They stop in a time," he said. "Unfortunately, we see many things that I was used to seeing when I was 20, 21 and 23."
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