Additional chapters were written in the book of Cristiano Ronaldo feuding with Manchester United today. There have been a few moments, since this past summer, where we all thought “ok, that’s it, will definitely leave now,” and every time, an uneasy peace was reached, and he stayed put.
This time feels different though, as Ronaldo has taken his “if I cause enough problems, they’ll have to let me go” routine up a notch.
In the same fiery interview with Piers Morgan that saw him hit out at manager Erik ten Hag, and rip the club itself apart at the seams, Ronaldo lashed out at the Glazers.
He said the ownership doesn’t really care about the club. Uhm, ok, that’s not exactly news Ronaldo. Everyone who is paying attention has known that for years already. Maybe we don’t even to mention this, given all the protests against the Glazers that we see all the time.
But then maybe we do, as it’s exceedingly rare to hear a star player himself actually say this.
“The Glazers, they don’t care about the club or professional sport. Manchester [United] is a marketing club,” Ronaldo said to Morgan, the professional troll/hot take artist on his TalkTV network.
“I want the best for the club. This is why I came to Manchester United and why I love the club.
“But you have some things inside that don’t help [us] reach the top level as [Manchester] 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.”
According to multiple reports, United are furious at Ronaldo for what he said, again, obviously, and naturally. There are also reports that Ten Hag wants Ronaldo off the team, and he has told his bosses that.
Once more, not really breaking any ground here. Yes, we’ve all realized that long ago.
It was clear in the summer that Ronaldo and Ten Hag couldn’t coexist and that the gaffer wants the diva out of his squad.
United issued an official club statement yesterday saying: “Manchester United notes the media coverage regarding an interview by Cristiano Ronaldo. The club will consider its response after the full facts have been established.
“Our focus remains on preparing for the second half of the season and continuing the momentum, belief and togetherness being built among the players, manager, staff, and fans.”
Also, the England squad was handed their shirt numbers yesterday, via a royal ceremony attended by Prince William. Luke Shaw, the only player to be on this squad, and the 2014 team but missed the 2018 World Cup, is #3. Harry Maguire is #6 and Marcus Rashford, MBE is #11.
Here is the official Three Lions player list by shirt number
England squad
- Jordan Pickford
- Kyle Walker
- Luke Shaw
- Declan Rice
- John Stones
- Harry Maguire
- Jack Grealish
- Jordan Henderson
- Harry Kane ©
- Raheem Sterling
- Marcus Rashford
- Kieran Trippier
- Nick Pope
- Kalvin Phillips
- Eric Dier
- Conor Coady
- Bukayo Saka
- Trent Alexander-Arnold
- Mason Mount
- Phil Foden
- Ben White
- Jude Bellingham
- Aaron Ramsdale
- Callum Wilson
- James Maddison
- Conor Gallagher
2022 Qatar World Cup Grouping Previews
Group A Group B Group C Group D
Group E Group F Group G Group H
Paul M. Banks is the Owner/Manager of The Sports Bank and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly contributed to WGN News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow the website on Instagram.