Some Manchester United players were ‘in awe’ of Cristiano Ronaldo and one sabotaged his own game by trying to pass to him too often, it has been claimed.
Ronaldo left United under a cloud in November after seeing his contract terminated due to a hugely critical interview he gave to Piers Morgan. He scored 27 goals in 54 appearances during his second spell with the club, but his presence was hugely divisive.
The 38-year-old striker caused friction behind the scenes at United, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag struggling to contain him. Ronaldo’s status as one of the greats of the modern game, mixed with his gradual decline and United’s failure to win trophies created an atmosphere that was, at times, toxic.
The Athletic reports that United analysts were tasked with discovering why a particular attacker was struggling for form. They discovered that the player was simply too focused on passing to Ronaldo, in order to curry favour from him, rather than trying to play as a team.
The report states that, having initially been ‘in awe’ of Ronaldo when he first arrived from Juventus in the summer of 2021, United players grew to ‘cower a little in his presence’. Ronaldo’s forceful will to win meant he was sometimes prone to showing his feelings too visibly.
The sight of Ronaldo standing with his hands on his hips, or throwing his arms up in exasperation, became a common one during his time at Old Trafford. The pressure of trying to please the Portugal international began to undermine the squad.
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His frustrations were not just shown on the pitch; Ronaldo also made a point of criticising his team-mates in the interview with Morgan, in which he deplored the young players’ lack of focus. “All leagues in the world, the youngest now, they are not the same as my generation. But we cannot blame them because, it's part of the life, you know,” he said.
“The new generation and the new technologies that avoid, they distract them for another thing so… But they are not the same that, they listen but this is why we have two ears, as you listen from one side and they go away from another side.”
The interview was the last straw for United, who ended up terminating his contract by mutual agreement in November. “I love Manchester United and I love the fans, that will never ever change,” Ronaldo said in a statement.
"However, it feels like the right time for me to seek a new challenge. I wish the team every success for the remainder of the season and for the future." That challenge turned out to be a lucrative move to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
