Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has reportedly reacted to former club teammate Cristiano Ronaldo calling him out in his explosive interview.
Ronaldo sat down with TalkTV host Piers Morgan for a bombshell interview and tore into United Erik ten Hag, former club manager Ralf Rangnick and the Glazer family.
And the 37-year-old Portuguese superstar also aimed his stinging words of criticism at his former United teammates, including Rooney and Gary Neville.
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Snippets from the interview have been widely viewed on social media, with the full chat dropping on TalkTV over two nights on Wednesday and Thursday.
When asked by Morgan about his thoughts on Rooney’s criticism, Ronaldo responded: “I don't understand, you should ask this question to him. I don’t know why he criticised me so bad.”
Ronaldo, who played alongside Rooney under Sir Alex Ferguson, continued to pull no punches towards his former teammate when prompted by Morgan.
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When asked if it could be jealously fuelling his criticism, Ronaldo continued: “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.
“It’s hard to listen to that kind of criticism and negativity from people who played with you, for example, Gary Neville as well.
“People can have their own opinion but they don’t really know what’s going on inside the training ground at Carrington or even my life.
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“They should listen to not only one point of view, they have to listen to my point of view as well. It’s easy to criticise but if you don’t know the whole story, it’s easy.
“They are not my friends.”
Rooney has not spoken publicly about Ronaldo’s scathing callout, but Sky Sports reports that he is ‘bemused’ by the criticism from the disgruntled United forward.
According to reports, the England and United legend ‘feels no animosity’ towards Ronaldo over his remarks.
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Rooney, who retired from football in 2021 and was later appointed Derby County manager, has previously said Ronaldo is one of the best players of all time alongside Lionel Messi.
The 37-year-old DC United boss was critical of Ronaldo’s antics at Old Trafford this season and even questioned United legend Roy Keane for defending the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“Him [Ronaldo] and Messi are arguably the two best players of all time and you can go either way with that, whatever way you decide,” he told talkSPORT.
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“But I just think the things he has done from the start of the season; it is not acceptable for Manchester United. I’ve seen Roy Keane defending him. Roy wouldn’t accept that. Roy wouldn’t accept that at all.
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“It is a distraction which Manchester United don’t need at the minute, when they are trying to rebuild.
“For Cristiano, just get your head down and work and be ready to play when the manager needs you.
“If he does that, he will be an asset. If he doesn’t, it will become an unwanted distraction.”
Topics: Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Premier League, England, Football
Adnan Riaz