Who would have ever thought that the week leading up to a winter World Cup would be dominated by Cristiano Ronaldo burning all the remaining bridges he had with Manchester United?
It's been a seismic few days in the world of football, and it's somehow come off the back of one of the Red Devils' better days this season after Alejandro Garnacho netted a stoppage-time winner against Fulham.
What. A. Moment! 😍🔊 pic.twitter.com/3a5PkVvH33
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 13, 2022
WINNING GOAL!!🔥🔥🔥@premierleague
— Alejandro Garnacho (@agarnacho7) November 13, 2022
See you after the break😉@ManUtd pic.twitter.com/78SOXoZ3U4
What a way to finish before the world cup break! Nothing like a last-minute winner @agarnacho7 🔥
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) November 13, 2022
🗣️ "We are UNITED."
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 13, 2022
Erik ten Hag believes Alejandro Garnacho has made a big impact and says his team are going in the right direction 🔴 pic.twitter.com/9A8nJZ7KfC
But that good feeling wasn't going to last long. A couple of hours after the full-time, Piers Morgan announced that a bombshell interview with a disgruntled Ronaldo was on the way.
BREAKING: I’ve interviewed Cristiano Ronaldo at length for my show @PiersUncensored ….
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 13, 2022
It’s the most explosive interview he’s ever given. Stand by for news at 10pm. pic.twitter.com/oK7gSXF0Dg
Presumably Piers Morgan is hoping Arsenal sign Ronaldo and play him up top in every game.
— Paul Colgan (@paulcolgan) November 13, 2022
And then five nights of madness ensued. There were many people Ronaldo sought to go after, starting with current United manager Erik ten Hag.
Cristiano Ronaldo on Erik ten Hag: “I don't have respect for Erik ten Hag because he doesn't show respect for me”, tells @PiersMorgan. 🚨 #MUFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 13, 2022
“If you don't have respect for me, I will never have any for you”. pic.twitter.com/n3kRkvILbP
Piers Morgan: "It looked like Ten Hag wanted to show you who the boss was."
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) November 17, 2022
That is literally his job title. #RonaldoInterview
Ronaldo's camp leaked stories that he wanted to leave the club two days before United returned to pre-season training under Ten Hag. He spent the summer trying to find a new club. And he's the one who feels betrayed. The timing of this should infuriate #mufc and his teammates
— Tyrone Marshall (@TyMarshall_MEN) November 13, 2022
The 1% will be Rio, Roy & Patrice…. https://t.co/PPFgVWz2eA
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) November 13, 2022
yes you are, you’re 38…
— Jacob Jarvis (@JacobJarvis20) November 17, 2022
There were others in the firing line, too. Former teammates Gary Neville and Wayne Rooney are no longer Ronaldo's friends anymore, apparently.
Cristiano Ronaldo on Wayne Rooney: "I don’t know why he criticises me so badly; 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.”
— HLTCO (@HLTCO) November 14, 2022
That’s a Donald Trump quote down to a tee. pic.twitter.com/3ZSYg5LPQ2
So Rooney critiques Ronaldo on footballing terms, and then Ronaldo mocks Rooney’s looks and calls him a rat.
— Alexei (@MUFC_redarmy99) November 17, 2022
Pathetic.
Not sure about this Taylor swift cover https://t.co/dYfyX2kuGy pic.twitter.com/xTrtwUmhU0
— R (@rjb_1998) November 14, 2022
he was never bitter about anything, still supported him through everything pic.twitter.com/xXTbHBHpfU
— Lew. (@LewVisualss) November 17, 2022
Even the kitchen staff weren't safe from Ronaldo's tyranny.
.ronaldo when he returned to old trafford cafeteria and saw the same chef
— SAFIAN (@SaFDo_) November 14, 2022
pic.twitter.com/2eNaGVpefm
Ronaldo when he was served the same dish he was served at 23 by the same chef at Manchester United: pic.twitter.com/wSWvq0dGgp
— FIKKKŠŚS🦍☢️ (@Fikayofmars) November 14, 2022
The head chef at Carrington. https://t.co/8K0N6TNISm pic.twitter.com/QpRqwht1PE
— ÀGBÀ (@Oli_Ekun) November 16, 2022
To save a bit of face, Ronaldo did also insist that he loves United fans and that he is with them in their criticisms against the Glazer family.
"The Glazers don't care about the club" Ronaldo
— Mark Goldbridge (@markgoldbridge) November 14, 2022
Whatever the right & wrongs of the interview that is our biggest star publicly saying the owners are rotten. Huge
The only time Ronaldo spoke about the Glazers in entire 90 minute interview was when he said - "they don't care about Manchester United & I have never talked to them' but I'm supposed to believe he's a messiah who has saved the club.
— Privilege Mufc 🇾🇪 (@privilege_mufc) November 18, 2022
Cristiano Ronaldo goes there: “The Glazers don’t care about the club. Manchester is a marketing club. The sport, they don’t really care, in my opinion.”
— Laurie Whitwell (@lauriewhitwell) November 14, 2022
Irony that commercial element brought him back to Old Trafford. But v strong for current player to vocalise valid point. #MUFC
So Ronaldo dedicated 53 seconds of a 90 minute interview to the Glazers (1.1%).
— ……..— (@privjrdn) November 17, 2022
He saved the club 🥶🥶🥶
Eternal rival Lionel Messi was one of few people praised by Ronaldo in the interview. How thoughtful.
"The best player you've ever seen? Excluding yourself?"
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) November 17, 2022
Piers Morgan asks Cristiano Ronaldo his true feelings about Lionel Messi as a player and a person.
Watch live: https://t.co/ajbahBvQpp@cristiano | @piersmorgan | @TalkTV | #90MinutesWithRonaldo | #PMU pic.twitter.com/sj5q1VeuLs
🚨 Ronaldo to @PiersUncensored: “As a player, Messi is amazing, top. As a person, we’ve shared the stage for 16 years and I have a good relationship with him. We’re not ‘friends’, but he’s a guy I really respect due to the way he speaks about me. He’s a good guy” #FCB 🤝
— Reshad Rahman ✆ (@ReshadRahman_) November 17, 2022
Cristiano Ronaldo tells Talk TV that Lionel Messi is the best player he ever played against.
— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) November 17, 2022
Ronaldo haters were hoping for him to slander Messi in that interview but they're all silent now.
— Raf 🇵🇹 (@CFCRaf2) November 17, 2022
Ronaldo insisted that he returned to Manchester United because former boss Sir Alex Ferguson convinced him not to join rivals Manchester City - a claim the Premier League champions have denied.
Cristiano Ronaldo tells @PiersMorgan: “I was close to joining Manchester City in 2021. I was surprised — as they tried hard to sign me”. 🚨🔴 #MUFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 16, 2022
But my heart, my history with Man United, Sir Alex Ferguson made the difference. The heart was speaking loud in that moment”. pic.twitter.com/OrAbVd6Krd
Manchester City have denied Cristiano Ronaldo's account of his proposed move, with sources telling ESPN that the striker's claim is false. pic.twitter.com/9Gmmh5cYxp
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 17, 2022
That Man Utd fan who set their Ronaldo shirt alight because of the City rumours really had the last laugh.
— Grace Robertson 🏳️⚧️ (@GraceOnFootball) November 18, 2022
The general consensus - unless you have some weird Ronaldo obsession - is that CR7 has lost a PR war of his own making, a serial winner flaming out as a loser.
So to round off, here is a random assortment of miscellaneous tweets criticising Ronaldo and questioning his judgement, both funny and serious. Consume them now before Elon Musk nukes Twitter into oblivion.
Honestly the most embarrassing question and answer you’ll ever listen too. https://t.co/JazVadeP3L
— Kevin Kilbane (@kdkilbane77) November 17, 2022
Bruh cristiano has more interviews with piers morgan (2) this year than epl goals this season (1) 😭
— beej 🇱🇧🎗 (@FCBeej) November 13, 2022
this pic is killing me pic.twitter.com/i7qRzlGqde
— Lew. (@LewVisualss) November 16, 2022
Cristiano Ronaldo's lack of respect for Erik Ten Hag has Ferguson-Beckham vibes to it. Sir Alex wrote:
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) November 13, 2022
“The minute a Manchester United player thought he was bigger than the manager, he had to go, David thought he was bigger than Alex Ferguson. That was the death knell for him.”
People suggesting Ronaldo acting like a child. Extremely disingenuous to Children.
— 🇮🇪Stephen Henderson☘️ (@stevehendo07) November 14, 2022
Ronaldo gave an interview where he said he doesn't respect Ten Hag, he hadn't heard of Rangnick, and he's better looking than Rooney, and people are like "he made some good points let's hear him out" lol please give up
— Aaron Moniz (@amonizfootball) November 14, 2022
Cristiano Ronaldo is not even a footballer at this point. He’s an action figure for insecure losers to project their masculinity onto. You have to be a blind idiot casual to believe the comparison to Messi is even close. Nobody who knows anything about football believes that
— ALPHA ♛ KAISER 𝐈𝐈 (@AlphaKaiser_II) November 13, 2022
Ronaldo feels betrayed? Sorry. Pass the sick bag.https://t.co/xdDjBgEug4
— Richard Keys (@richardajkeys) November 14, 2022
they are the same person pic.twitter.com/SvQSbWCMxp
— hassan. (@westsidehassan) November 13, 2022
There's loads of things to say about the Ronaldo situation but the stark one for me is this:
— Alex Shaw (@AlexShawESPN) November 14, 2022
Man Utd would happily let him go for free. And yet no club, as yet, have come forward. To sign Ronaldo. For free.
They're struggling to give him away.
The thing is, a lot of (not all) the things Ronaldo identified last season (facilities, poor decisions, things need destroying etc) are now being addressed by Murtough and Ten Hag. The problem for Ronaldo is he was one of the poor decisions but he doesn’t realise it.
— Adam Crafton (@AdamCrafton_) November 13, 2022
Ronaldo “doesn’t care about his critics” yet has spent a chunk of this interview questioning why he is getting criticised
— Scott Saunders (@_scottsaunders) November 16, 2022
Source : 90min