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Is Cristiano Ronaldo Still Old Trafford Hero Or A Villain?
By Bernard Joseph
On Tuesday, 31st August 2021, social media was ablaze with Manchester United’s delightful announcement of the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus on a two-year contract with the option to extend for a year further. Almost every Manchester United fan was delighted to hear the return of the “Old Trafford hero” as most people believed he would help bring back the glory days that Manchester United is known for.
Unfortunately, his return turned into a nightmare on Thursday afternoon after Manchester United put out a 67-word statement that brought to an end Cristiano Ronaldo’s second spell at the club.
EDITOR’S PICKS
There was no glorious farewell, no standing ovation for a legend, no waving goodbye, no happy smile from a five-time Ballon D’or winner to his Old Trafford fans. It all ended in pain and misery while he was over 5,000 miles away in Qatar, preparing to play in his fifth World Cup finals with Portugal.
Manchester United terminated Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract following a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.
Ronaldo had said that he had “no respect” for his manager, Erik ten Hag and that United had “betrayed” him.
According to a statement by Manchester United, “Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect.” The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances, and wishes him and his family well in the future.
“Everyone at Manchester United remains focused on continuing the team’s progress under Erik ten Hag and working together to deliver success on the pitch.”
Manchester United believed Ronaldo had violated his terms of employment with his criticism of the club’s US owners, manager Erik ten Hag, the club’s facilities, his teammates, and former Red Devils players, including Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The club also believed Ronaldo had become emotionally drained and was now beginning to overshadow the progress the club was making on the pitch after he had bluntly refused to come in as a substitute during Man Utd’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur; instead, Ronaldo decided to walk down the tunnel.
Manchester United decided to act decisively by terminating his contract and removing an increasingly disruptive influence from the club.
It is believed that most Manchester United fans are not happy with the decision, as it appears that Ronaldo was bundled out of Old Trafford in unseemly haste.
Although, Ronaldo seems to be happy with the decision because his intention in giving the infamous interview in which he was so critical of United’s owners and the manager was always to back the club into a corner and force them to let him go. His combative approach has worked perfectly as the club’s US owners, ‘The Glazers’ have now opened talks with potential buyers to sell Manchester United.
But like in any relationship, when the love has been so intense, the break-up is bound to be ugly and difficult. United have previously experienced these partings with other club legends, including George Best, Roy Keane, David Beckham, and now Cristiano Ronaldo.
FURTHER READING
Finally, in years to come, Man United and their fans will prefer to remember Ronaldo’s 145 goals and the three Premier League titles, and one Champions League he helped bring to the club instead of the walk-outs, his refusal to play and the bombshell interview that eventually paved the way for his exit from the club.
Bernard Joseph writes for Eko Hot Blog. This media platform reserves all rights to this article.
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