Cristiano Ronaldo responds to Erik ten Hag’s criticism with a forceful statement

The rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Erik ten Hag remains strong four years after their tumultuous spell at Manchester United . Although the Portuguese star avoided publicly commenting on the Dutch manager’s recent remarks, Piers Morgan revealed that he had a private conversation with the footballer and shared his reaction: Ronaldo believes his former coach “doesn’t deserve to be talked about.”

 

The relationship between the two deteriorated during Ten Hag’s first few months in charge of the English club in 2022. Ronaldo ended up leaving Old Trafford for the second time amidst considerable controversy, after giving an interview to Piers Morgan in which he stated that he did not respect the manager. The striker’s departure was by mutual agreement during the break in club football for the Qatar World Cup.

Ten Hag’s latest criticism of Cristiano

The controversy reignited after an interview the Dutchman gave to The Athletic last month. In it, the former manager claimed that Ronaldo had harmed the team during his time in Manchester. Days later, during his appearance on the program Goedemorgen Eredivisie, he was even more emphatic in questioning the striker’s level of play.

 

Ten Hag argued that Cristiano had stopped performing at his best seven or eight years prior and considered his departure from Juventus in 2021, at the age of 36, to be a wise decision by Real Madrid. He even described it as a “great gift” that the Spanish club let him go before his footballing decline began.

Piers Morgan revealed the Portuguese player’s reaction

Given the repercussions of these statements, Morgan decided to ask Ronaldo directly what he thought about his former coach’s words. According to the journalist on his YouTube channel, Football Uncensored, the footballer’s response was emphatic, making it clear that he has no interest in reopening that discussion.

 

Piers Morgan revealed the Portuguese player’s reaction

Given the repercussions of these statements, Morgan decided to ask Ronaldo directly what he thought about his former coach’s words. According to the journalist on his YouTube channel, Football Uncensored, the footballer’s response was emphatic, making it clear that he has no interest in reopening that discussion.

 

 

The commentator also defended the striker and believed that, with a different manager, he could have stayed at Manchester United for two or three more seasons and continued scoring goals.

Ronaldo’s future and his latest big goals

While the controversy continues, the Portuguese star is in the final stage of his professional career. At 41, he is under contract with Al Nassr until next summer, and the player himself has acknowledged that this could be his last season as a footballer. However, he still has important goals, both individually and for the team.

After the 2016 World Cup, Ronaldo decided to continue representing Portugal, although he recently had another conflict, this time with coach Jorge Jesus, over a situation he considered disrespectful. As a result, he received a minimum one-month suspension and a fine, although he is expected to be recalled to the national team in November.

 

 

Among his main aspirations are the possibility of winning another UEFA Nations League title with Portugal and becoming the first footballer in history to reach 1,000 official goals. His goal received a boost after his hat-trick for Al Nassr against Al Kholod, although there is some controversy surrounding his goalscoring record.

Ronaldo’s account is also under scrutiny for a recent goal against Al Faisaly, the credit for which is disputed in the official records. While the Saudi Pro League credits him with the goal, other official sources do not.

 

For this reason, some statistics place the Portuguese player at 984 goals and others at 985, in a race against time to reach a historic figure before putting an end to his career.