Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Portugal
Part one of Cristiano Ronaldo's explosive interview with Piers Morgan has dropped and as expected, it brought further headlines.
At his request, Ronaldo sat down with the journalist for a 90-minute chat on TalkTV and details of the bombshell interview were shared online on Sunday, not long after Manchester United's last-gasp 2-1 win away over Fulham.
Ronaldo called out a whole host of people, including Erik ten Hag, Ralf Rangnick, the Glazers, Gary Neville and Wayne Rooney and claimed he had been "betrayed" by United.
Advert
The first section of the interview went live at 8pm on Wednesday but now fans can see the full context to Ronaldo's comments and added detail in places.
Ronaldo quite brutally said he does not "have respect" for Ten Hag amid their strained relationship but he also went on to drop a dig at new coaches who "think they find the last Coca Cola in the desert".
“To be honest, Piers, it's something that I don't understand. It's the new coaches that are coming around, they think they find the last Coca Cola in the desert, which is I don't understand the football that invents many, many years.
“But I respect any coach, every different approach, different opinions, different mentality, but kind of some points that you're, you're not agree. So I'm always like that in my life. I've always been, besides the best coaches in the world: [Zinedine] Zidane and [Carlo] Ancelotti, [Jose] Mourinho, Fernando Santos, [Max] Allegri… So I have kind of, some experience because I learn from them.
“And when you see some coaches that are coming, that they want the revolution [in] the football, I don’t agree, I have my opinion. They agree or they don't, they disagree, but it's part of the business because at the end of the day, I'm in a club to win, and with my experience, I want to help. Like always, and some coaches that don't accept and, you know, it's part of the job.”
Rangnick, who was interim manager at United prior to Ten Hag's arrival, was also laid into, with Ronaldo saying, "This guy is not even a coach" and claiming he hadn't heard of him before he turned up at Carrington.
In the fresh quotes, Ronaldo says he "never saw" Rangnick, who is now Austria manager, as "the boss" during his short stint in the dugout.
Asked if he called Rangnick "boss", Ronaldo replied: "Of course, I respect, we have to call because he assumed the job regardless - all the coaches that I had in my career, I call them boss because if they assume the job we have to call in that way. But in the end deep inside me, I never saw him as the boss because I saw some points that I never agreed.
"When you sack Ole Solskjaer, you should bring a top manager, not a sports director.”
Ronaldo pulled no punches in ripping into former teammate Rooney, saying, "I don't know why he criticised me so bad" and accusing of him of being jealous.
Asked the question by Morgan, Ronaldo replied: "Probably, because he finished his career in his 30s. I'm still playing at a high level, I'm not going to say that I'm looking better than him, which is true."
He admitted he is not friends with Rooney or Neville and referred them as "colleagues", though did reveal the former invited his son to play football at his house before criticising him in an interview.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner commented: “I really don't understand people like that. Or if they want to be in a cover of the paper of the news, or they want new jobs or whatever.”
In one of the less controversial tidbits from the chat, Ronaldo also discussed the current crop of footballers and and hinted they are not as focused and do not listen.
The 37-year-old went on to recall how he learned as a rookie at United, studying the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Roy Keane, Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs and putting his success and longevity down to that.
"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. 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.
“So, it don't surprise me. But in the same way it's a little bit shame because if they have the best examples in front of your eyes, and if they don't at least copy what you did, for me, it's kind of weird, because I remember when I was 18, 19, 20, I'm always looked to see the best players when Van Nistelrooy, Ferdinand, Roy Keane, and Giggs - this is why I have the success that I have and longevity. Because I take care of my body, my mentality, my head, because I see these guys and I learn from them.”
Watch ‘Piers Morgan Uncensored: 90 Minutes with Ronaldo', 8pm on Wednesday and Thursday on TalkTV. Find TalkTV on Sky 526, Virgin Media 606, Freeview 237, Freesat 217 and Sky Glass 508, live and on demand on the TalkTV app, streaming services and at Talk.TV.
