Cristiano Ronaldo would have planned his future well before lashing out at Manchester United bosses in latest interview
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Cristiano Ronaldo
You could well call it a free kick. Football icon and the heartthrob of billions, Cristiano Ronaldo blew the lid on his love-hate controversy with Manchester United in a candid chat with Piers Morgan which shook the world on Sunday night and Monday morning.
The full interview, lasting 90 minutes, will be aired mid-week. If teasers and promos could result in a hit at the box office, Ronaldo has already done that. At 37, the skipper of the Portugal team has been through more lows than highs at Old Trafford. He has been besieged by problems galore in 2022, including the loss of a newborn kid.
All that has been traumatic for Ronaldo, who will be featuring in his fifth FIFA World Cup in Qatar, starting November 20. An interview with Piers Morgan cannot be plain vanilla, it has to be juicy or explosive. In the evening of his career and possibly realizing that continuing with Manchester United has been a maelstrom, Ronaldo lashed out at manager Erik ten Hag and the entire club management.
In a matter of 11 hours, the interview video has been seen by millions and has been tweeted by Piers Morgan. He, obviously, loves doing such interviews which can shake the very edifice and base of one of England’s most famous clubs. For those part of the massive fan following that the two biggest stars of football enjoy today — Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo — the latest interview has brought into focus the shenanigans at Manchester United.
Ronaldo is no newcomer at this club. He was here as a youngster many years ago, before crossing over the channel to La Liga. That he was part of the Real Madrid legacy is well known. Yet, for a man who has won all the possible awards in his career, well defined by multiple Ballon d’Or, the sense of outrage in his interview brings into focus how much he has suffered in recent times.
One normally does not see the Portuguese indulge in pure vitriol with words. The interview, which has gone viral on several platforms, is the last thing Manchester United would have wanted. Ronaldo has shredded Erik ten Hag and also shown his disgust for Wayne Rooney. Rooney was the enfant terrible of British football and his booze and brawl episodes grabbed headlines, many times. He had been baiting Ronaldo for a long time. Surely, Ronaldo, blessed with a chiseled-out physique at six feet and one inch would have planned how he was going to let it rip in the interview.
For someone who had heart surgery at the young age of 15 and then returned to football quickly, Ronaldo has been the epitome of good behavior, etiquette, and appearing humble. His return to Manchester United was frustrating, perhaps unable to deal with the school-master type of treatment he was getting from the man in the middle of the storm — ten Hag. Added to it were Rooney’s wile comments, Ronaldo was seething with rage. By having a go at Rooney and talking about how he (Ronaldo) is still relevant in modern football, the superstar who heads Portugal’s campaign has taken a massive load off his chest.
Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo takes the focus away from FIFA World Cup as he pours his heart out in an emotional interview
The timing of his interview has been great. It has come at a juncture when everyone is talking about the World Cup and the build-up. You could be sure, this interview is not going to fade away from the public conscience of sporting fans so soon. Ronaldo should have been the flavor at the World Cup, instead, his talking has left people with gaping jaws. Club football is a very special place. Fan following, which borders on worship, sees loyalties of the highest order. It is not as if this interview has left fans at Old Trafford happy. They are upset and that’s putting it mildly. Heck, Ronaldo does not care. He would have discussed all this with his family, managers, and think-tank before letting fly the missiles with words in a lovely interview.
Football experts are up all night in England and during the day, discussing the impact of the interview. There have been players who dropped bombshells before but none as hard as this one from Ronaldo. How one interprets his words will be a matter of convenience. Most of his fans will be sympathetic while some may hate him for his guts. After all, nobody is bigger than the sport. Out here, it is about a man who has been torn apart emotionally and in his playing career.
Does this mean Ronaldo will just focus on the World Cup and then hang up his boots or has he got his next assignment lined up at Chelsea during the transfer window? Football rivalry in English clubs borders on hostility. Ronaldo is bound to face backlash if he returns in 2023 to one of the top clubs where the name of Chelsea figures on top. For someone who will now have to shoulder the responsibility of leading a national side.
Portugal in the World Cup which still relies on him, the coming days may be more peaceful. Ronaldo has let out steam, piping hot. From here on, he can only be relaxed. The pent-up frustration is now over. Once that is done, it’s time to breathe in positive energy. For the sake of Ronaldo fans and Portugal fans, we would love to see the genius at his creative best. After all, as a forward, he still packs plenty of punch with his foot. After all, it was that my-foot-attitude that saw the debonair player take huge swipes at Manchester United in a vocal yet measured manner!
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)