Manchester United have been left red-faced after featuring Cristiano Ronaldo on the January page of their official 2023 calendar.
The superstar arrived at new club Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia last week after having had his contract mutually terminated by United following his controversial interview with Piers Morgan. In the sit-down he levelled a number of accusations at the club.
He said he felt “betrayed” by the Reds and suggested that some hierarchical figures at Old Trafford didn’t fully believe his reasons for his absence from the pre-season tour amid the illness of his daughter.
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Ronaldo also declared he had no respect for new boss Erik ten Hag. This led to his exit in November, just days before Portugal’s World Cup opener with Ghana in which he scored a penalty to become the first men’s player to score in five separate World Cups.
The manner of his departure upset a vast number of United fans, some of whom may be irked to see the superstar on the club’s 2023 calendar.
That said, few can deny his legacy at United and he is one of a handful of ex-players who supporters may not mind seeing on their calendar in any year, albeit perhaps not so soon after his less-than-amicable breakaway.
Clubs typically finalise and sanction the design of their calendars some time in advance of their release ahead of the new year, commonly months beforehand.
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