Piers Morgan, the journalist who interviewed Cristiano Ronaldo for England newspaper The Sun, revealed that it was the Portugal international who requested the interview and that the footballer wanted to “tell the truth”, even knowing the shock his statements could cause.
“Cristiano asked me to do this. It’s as simple as that. He asked me. He’s thought about it for a while. It’s no secret that he feels deep frustration at what happened at Manchester United over the past year. and he knew he was going to set things on fire he knew he was going to shake some cages but he also felt he had to do this he knows people will criticize him but he also knows that what he says is true Sometimes the truth hurts.”said.
When asked about the timing of the interview, Morgan declined to say when the interview ended – “it’s between me and him” – saying the chosen moment had to do with the Worlds. “He’s with Portugal now, who have a good team and can have a good World Cup. That gives him a month away from United. It gives time for things to settle down and come back. As he said in the interview, he loves Manchester United and the club’s supporters. But he believes the club is stagnant and he doesn’t understand why. If he didn’t say anything, nothing would change.”he added.
“Cristiano asked me to do it.”
“He knows it’s going to be a fire hazard, but he thinks he should do this.”
“He loves #MUFC & the fans, but feels that if he doesn’t say anything, nothing will change.@PiersMorgan explains how and why his interview with Ronaldo happened. pic.twitter.com/VGJMDs80ex
– talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) November 14, 2022
Cristiano Ronaldo said in an interview with The Sun that he felt “betrayed” by Manchester United, the club he represents, and that “some people” didn’t want him in the team, not just this season but also last season.
“I don’t know if I should say this, but I don’t care. People need to hear the truth: yes, I felt betrayed and I felt that some people didn’t want me here, not only this season, but also the last “, said the advanced, ahead of a television interview that will be broadcast on English television on Wednesday.
According to the 37-year-old striker, “it’s not just the coach”, Erik ten Hag, who doesn’t want him in the squad, but also “two or three at the club”, later clarifying that he was referring to drivers, to get that feeling ” betray”.
The striker was omitted from the Red Devils’ last two games and is now preparing to travel to Qatar with the Portugal team, which he captains, for the 2022 World Cup.
In total, this season is 16 games and three goals for the English club, after scoring 24 goals in 38 meetings in 2021/22, the season of his return to Manchester.
In the lengthy interview, he stated that he had no respect for the coach considering that he disrespected him.
“I have no respect because he does not respect me. If you do not respect me, I will never respect you,” he said.
The lack of improvements in facilities and advancements in technology are other shortcomings the striker has found.
“I have not seen any progress at the club since Alex Ferguson left, no progress has been made. (…) The gym, the pool… they are stuck in time, which surprised me a lot,” he complained . .
The criticism extended to Ralf Rangnick, one of three coaches he met in Manchester during this second spell.
“If you’re not even a manager, how can you be the leader of Manchester United? I’d never heard of him,” he said.
Cristiano Ronaldo also complains of “lack of empathy” towards him, as he lost one of his children to the birth of Georgina Rodríguez, with only one of the twins being born, and that the club is trying to portray him as “the black sheep “. of the squad.
Those who ‘escape’ from criticism are the supporters of the English. “They are the most important thing in football and you play for them. They are always on my side, they are everything to me. That’s why I gave this interview. It’s the right time to say what I think,” added he to it. .
This has been a ‘problematic’ season for the Madeiran ‘star’, who returned to United, where he first played between 2003 and 2009, following spells at Real Madrid (2009-2018) and Juventus (2018-2021), after he started his career. career at Sporting.
In the summer, his possible departure from the club was the main talking point in the transfer market and if that fell through, he promised to give an interview to clarify the matter.
Since then his appearance on the field has been mixed, between the start, the substitution bench and the absence of the called-up players, such as when he was removed from first team training for abandoning a game that was still in progress, because he had refused to be a plaything. to replace. used.
With 191 appearances for the Portuguese main team and 117 goals, he adds 145 goals for Manchester United, in 346 games, 451 for Real Madrid, in ‘only’ 438 games, and five for Sporting, in 31 games.
Source: DN
