- Cristiano Ronaldo will leave Manchester United “with immediate effect,” the Premier League club said Tuesday.
- The termination of the 37-year-old forward’s contract comes after he conducted an explosive interview in which he criticized manager Erik ten Hag and the club’s owners.
- It wasn’t immediately clear where he would end up next after failing to secure a move to a Champions League club in the summer.
The English Premier League club confirmed Tuesday that Cristiano Ronaldo is leaving Manchester United with immediate effect.
United stated in a brief statement that the joint decision was reached a week after Ronaldo’s heated TV outburst about his dissatisfaction with the club.
“The club wishes him and his family well for the future and thanks him for his enormous contribution over two stints at Old Trafford, netting 145 goals in 346 appearances,” the statement read.
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Everyone at Manchester United is committed to maintaining the team’s development under Erik ten Hag and achieving success on the field.
Ronaldo is now with the Portugal national team in Qatar for the World Cup. On Monday, he stated that the timing of his recent statements regarding Manchester United will not impair his teammates’ attention.
Ronaldo revealed in an interview with Piers Morgan for TalkTV that he feels United deceived him and that he has no respect for manager ten Hag just prior to the beginning of the World Cup.
Ronaldo’s departure from United comes an acrimonious and dismal end to the 37-year-second old’s stint at the club, in which he scored just once in 10 Premier League outings this season.
Ten Hag has primarily used him as a substitute, and he refused to play against Tottenham Hotspur last month, instead walking down the tunnel with minutes remaining in the game.
This will likely be Ronaldo’s final World Cup appearance, and it is currently unknown which team will sign him for the second half of the season.
Ronaldo developed from a clever, skilled winger to one of the top players in the world after joining United in 2003.
Before going to Real Madrid in 2009, he won three Premier League titles, the FA Cup, two League Cups, the Champions League, and the first of his five Ballon d’Or awards.
Ronaldo’s return to United last year from Juventus was greeted with great excitement by the club’s fans, but his second stint at Old Trafford failed to match the success of his first as United finished the season trophyless.
“After discussions with Manchester United, we mutually agreed to terminate our contract early,” Ronaldo said in a statement.
“I have always loved Manchester United and its fans, and that will never change. Nonetheless, I believe it is time for me to pursue a new challenge.
I wish the squad continued success throughout the rest of the season and into the future.
