Jeremy Kyle was the latest to break the news after completing his own, less-heralded interview with comedian Dom Joly. A final push for interest came as the minutes wound down, not that it was needed. “The first part of this bombshell interview is coming next,” Kyle said. The wait had lasted three days. A 72-hour trail that began on Sunday night had teased global audiences with the best bits of Ronaldo’s interview with Piers Morgan and, damning as the content was, it ensures the veteran forward’s days as a Manchester United player will soon be over. . “This is the interview everyone is talking about,” Morgan said. Or the first part, at least. That was the first half, a 45-minute discussion focused on Ronaldo’s grievances and grief over the past 18 months. It was the interview he had been promising since attempts to leave Old Trafford in the summer failed. Appropriate time, as he claims, to achieve the record on the eve of a World Cup. Morgan was the chosen vehicle for revenge, gently setting the scene for Ronaldo to take aim. And, as for most of his career, the Portugal captain did not miss. As the juicy bits had promised in the days leading up to the live interview, there were shots fired at the Manchester United hierarchy, his former manager Ralf Rangnick and his one-time team-mates who dared to suggest his powers are on the wane. Erik ten Hag, the United manager, can expect his gutting moment when the second part of an interview filmed at Ronaldo’s home last week airs on Thursday night. The Glazers are also a target. However, this rare window into Ronaldo’s mind was not all anxiety and frustration. Time was spent describing the tragic death of his newborn son, Angel, in April and the strength of his relationship with his girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez. Ronaldo still has more to say about his woes at United, with stinging accusations of betrayal and disrespect running deep, but here are five relevant points from the first half of this interview with Morgan.
“United’s progress was zero”
“Everything was the same. They stopped at one clock, I think, which surprised me.” Those damning words had made headlines for days, and their force was not diminished by any wider context. Ronaldo claimed time has stood still for United since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013, with the stagnation off the pitch indicative of a wider malaise. A move to Manchester City was “close”, he said, but the emotional pull of United, the club that launched his career as a teenager, had outweighed the misgivings he has now chosen to make known. “A club of this size should be top of the tree and it’s not, unfortunately,” he said. “It’s not at that level. I don’t know what’s going on, but since Sir Alex Ferguson left I haven’t seen any development at the club, zero progress.” United opposes this proposal. The club’s training ground is being redeveloped with significant investment, while the science and data teams are being rebuilt. For Ronaldo, however, it was apparently not enough.
Rangnik and the last Coca-Cola
“Deep down, I never saw him as the boss because I saw some points that I never agreed with.” If there was a point when Ronaldo’s return to United began to turn sour, it can easily be traced to the appointment of Rangnick. Last November, in the weeks following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a figure who retains Ronaldo’s respect, it was decided that United should appoint Lokomotiv Moscow’s sporting director as a short-term solution. Ronaldo, it seems, was never sold on Rangnik, who by February had relegated his high-profile striker to the bench. “To be honest, Pearce, it’s something I don’t understand,” said Ronaldo, who claimed he had never heard of Rangnik before his appointment. “It’s the new coaches that come in, they think they’re finding the last Coca-Cola in the desert, which I don’t understand football inventing for many, many years. “I’m at a club to win and with my experience I want to help. As always, and some coaches who don’t accept and, you know, it’s part of the job.” No love was lost between Ronaldo and Rangnik. A coaching change in the summer, however, has failed to alter the direction of travel that sees Ronaldo looking to leave Old Trafford.
New players and falling standards
“All the leagues in the world, the newest ones now, are not the same as my generation.” In those blissful weeks following Ronaldo’s return in August 2021, the consensus decided he would become the perfect role model for United’s young forwards to thrive. Wrong. Some twelve months later and Ronaldo has expressed his obvious frustration with the youngsters’ attitude. No one was criticized by name, but he was asked to pick players from around the world he admired, praise only going to Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro when he limited the question to his team-mates. In a wider discussion about young players following his example, he added: “They don’t care. Some yes. But most of them, no. They are not going to have longevity in their careers. It’s impossible.” “Their hunger (is different). They have things easier, everything is easy, they don’t suffer — and they don’t care.” A penny for the thoughts of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho…
Critic former teammates
“I still think jealousy is part of it… It’s hard when you’re a little bit down to hear that criticism.” They were once teammates with Ronaldo, but friendships with Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville appear to be over. The jabs aimed in their direction were widely documented and even allowing for Morgan’s baiting, it was clear that the criticism aimed at Ronaldo had stung. Ronaldo said it had only been six months since Rooney had visited his home, but those invitations were unlikely to come again. “I really don’t understand people like that,” he said. “Or if they want to be on the cover of the paper or the news, or they want new jobs or whatever.” Neville has laughed off the recount, but Ronaldo appears in no mood to rebuild bridges with team-mates who helped him win a maiden Champions League title in 2008. “I care about people who like me,” he said. “I don’t waste time on people who don’t like me. It’s a waste of time, these people are not interesting in my life.” Surprisingly, Ronaldo reserved praise for Ruud van Nistelrooy along with Roy Keane and Rio Ferdinand, despite a strained relationship with the former Netherlands and United striker.
Angel “Up in Heaven”
“His ashes are with me, like my dad, they’re here at home… It’s something I want to keep for the rest of my life.” Ronaldo’s motivation for an interview with Morgan was to settle scores, but there was still time to clarify one of the most difficult periods of his life. His partner was expecting twins in April, but their son, Angel, did not survive the birth. Ronaldo says he has received condolences from around the football world, as well as a letter from the royal family. “I never, ever expect this,” he said. “Never.” Ronaldo admitted that his son’s ashes are kept next to those of his father, Jose, who died in 2005. “I have a small church,” he explained. “Yes, chapel. And I keep my dad and my son (there). I talk to them every time and they are by my side. You know they helped me become a better person, become a better person, become a better father. I’m really proud of the message they’re sending me, especially my son.” Expect Ronaldo to address the health scare suffered by infant daughter Bella – and dealing with his absence from United during pre-season – when part two of the interview airs. It remains to run into it. (Top photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
