Has Cristiano Ronaldo completely tarnished his Man Utd legacy?

 

Cristiano Ronaldo has likely played his last game for Manchester United.  

 

The legendary Portuguese forward sat down with Piers Morgan for an interview that effectively burnt all bridges with those at Old Trafford, and has left him marooned on an Island of his own making.  

 

Ronaldo claimed to have been "betrayed" by Erik Ten Hag and members of his coaching team while admitting he does not have respect for the former Ajax tactician.  

 

"I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me. If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never gonna have respect for you." 

 

It directly contradicts what he said in October. The 37-year-old released a statement after being dropped for the Chelsea game after refusing to come on as a late substitute against Spurs and walking down the tunnel before the match had finished.  

 

"As I’ve always done throughout my career, I try to live and play respectfully towards my colleagues, my adversaries and my coaches. That hasn’t changed. I have not changed." 

 

In what was a fairly explosive interview with Morgan, Ronaldo took shots at everyone while painting himself as someone wanting what is best for the club.  

 

He claimed to have never even heard of Ralf Rangnick and, again, appeared to show very little respect towards the ‘Godfather of the Gegenpress’, saying: "If you’re not even a coach, how are you going to be the boss of Manchester United?" 

 

Before going on to criticise the club in general.  

 

"I think the fans should know the truth. I want the best for the club. This is why I come to Manchester United. But you have some things inside that don’t help (us) reach the top level as City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal… a club with this dimension should be top of the tree in my opinion and they are not, unfortunately. 

 

"Since Sir Alex Ferguson left I saw no evolution in the club, the progress was zero." 

 

 

Some of these concerns will be valid and he has every right to bring them up. But you can’t help but feel as though he’s using them as excuses to get away now things aren’t going well. He would’ve been aware of these issues before returning to Old Trafford and he was more than happy to sign a deal believed to be worth in the region of £450,000-per-week. United had Champions League football then though. As long as he is able to perform on the biggest stage of them all, he is willing to turn a blind eye.  

 

For a player who claims to want the best for the club, he sure has a strange way of showing it. 

 

Just a few months ago, he was trying to engineer a move away from Old Trafford while simultaneously disrupting Ten Hag’s first few weeks as manager. He wanted to play Champions League football and he was willing to put his needs ahead of the team’s.   

 

The Dutch manager gave him a second chance. It is unlikely he is going to give him a third. Why would he want to reconcile with the United No. 7 when, without him, they are just three points off of the top four with a game in hand?  

 

Last season, many pondered where the Red Devils would be without Ronaldo’s goals. He netted 18 times last season as United finished sixth. Without his goals this term, they are fifth and they appear to be a much better team.  They are back to being Manchester United FC as opposed to Ronaldo FC.  

 

The former Real Madrid star hasn’t helped his cause when on the pitch either. He has just one goal this season in the Premier League even though his shots per 90 average has risen from four to 4.3. An interesting stat is that he is averaging 1.9 shots from outside the penalty area and this is significantly higher than the 0.8 he averaged during the 2021/22 campaign.  

 

For a manager that wants his team to control possession, having an attacker who is averaging close to two shots from 18+ yards per 90 contradicts that philosophy. His WhoScored rating has fallen off a cliff too. His average this season is 6.39, down from the 7.11 he managed during his return to England. That drop-off is one of the worst.  

 

His Manchester Unitec career has fizzled out. His legacy remains, for now, but more of this will do irreparable damage and further damage his reputation and standing, not just at Old Trafford but within the game entirely.

Has Cristiano Ronaldo completely tarnished his Man Utd legacy?