I don’t regret refusing to come on for United, says Ronaldo

The Portuguese star has doubled down on his decision to defy United manager Erik ten Hag, saying the ‘coach didn’t have respect for me’ as their relationship hits rock-bottom.

Cristiano Ronaldo is standing by his decision to refuse to come on as a substitute during Manchester United’s match against Tottenham as he revealed his relationship with Erik ten Hag is at an all-time low.

The United manager had asked Ronaldo to come on in the 87th minute of the 2-0 win last month but the Portugal international refused as he believed Ten Hag was disrespecting him and consequently left Old Trafford before the full-time whistle was blown.

Ronaldo, 37, admitted in an interview with Talk TV that he regretted leaving early but he still felt that refusing to play for his side was the right move. He said his decision was borne from Ten Hag not bringing him on in the Manchester derby and saying in the post-match press conference that it was out of respect for Ronaldo’s career.

“I like guys who don’t lie, who are honest and I’m not going to negotiate my morals. They will always be intact and what’s going on in the last two months is not respectful in many ways,” he said. “I regret that I left before the end of the game against Tottenham.

Ronaldo has admitted that he regretted leaving early but felt that refusing to play for Manchester United was the right move. Picture: Getty Images

“Don’t tell me that the top players, the guys who want everything, the key players will play three minutes,” he said. “Come on, this is unacceptable after what they keep saying before, that they respect me, that they do this, they do that. For me it was not respect, this is why I take this decision I regret.

“I apologised to my teammates for the situation, I did a post on Instagram about my regret of leaving the stadium and I apologised to my teammates. But in the same way, I do not regret the decision to not come on.

“The coach didn’t have respect for me. So this is why the relationship is the way it is. He keeps saying in the press that he came to me and he likes me blah, blah, blah but that it’s only for the press. One hundred per cent.”

Ronaldo agreed with host Piers Morgan that Ten Hag had been constantly trying to disrespect him over the last few months and believed his actions, including suspending him for three days after the Tottenham game, and his comments were a “strategy” from the club to get him out.

The question remains where Cristiano Ronaldo will play if no longer with Manchester United. Picture: Getty Images

“Many things have happened, I think at certain points it was a strategy from the club for me to react like that,” he said. “I probably shouldn’t say but people should hear the truth. Yes, I feel betrayed and some people don’t want me here, not just this year and last year as well.”

United are working out how to move forward with Ronaldo following his interview and the forward admitted he did not know if he would play for the club again after the World Cup.

“It’s difficult to tell right now,” he said. “When I arrived at Manchester United, I was always available to help the team to do the good things, to put in the right spots, to compete with the best teams. But it’s hard when they cut your legs and they don’t let you shine and they don’t listen to your advice.”

The big question for Ronaldo now is where he would go. He confirmed he had an offer from a Saudi Arabian team that would have paid him €350m ($542m) for two seasons but claims it is “garbage” that no other team wanted him, despite his agent failing to secure a move for him last summer.

It was put to Ronaldo that perhaps he and Lionel Messi, the Barcelona legend who now plays for Paris Saint-Germain, could one day end up on the same team. Ronaldo joked that they would sell a lot of shirts and praised on his counterpart.

“He is magic, an amazing player,” he said. “As a person, we share the stage for 16 years so I have a great relationship with him. I’m not a friend of his in terms of a guy who comes to your house and speaks on the phone but more like a teammate. He’s a guy that I really respect the way he always speaks about me. What I am going to say about Messi? A great guy who does great things for football.”

– The Times