Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has given rise to a storm among football fans after his interview with Piers Morgan on the latter’s show, Piers Morgan Uncensored. The 37-year-old has levelled numerous accusations against Manchester United, its executives, and especially manager Erik ten Hag. Ronaldo’s sentiments are quite similar to those mentioned by Swedish legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic in his 2022 autobiography, Adrenaline.

Ronaldo, in his interview with Morgan, said that he was surprised about how certain things at the club have remained the same since he was there for his last spell. The Portugal captain spoke of his surprise to see that many equipment in the gym were still the same, the pool and jacuzzi were the same, and there was hardly any new technology brought into the club. CR7 is of the opinion that the club has not been reinventing itself since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.

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In his book Adrenaline, published in 2022, Ibrahimovic spoke of the “small mentality” of the club. His wrote, “One thing surprised me: everyone thinks of United as a top club, one of the richest and most powerful in the world and seen from the outside it looked that way to me,” further adding, “But once I was there I found a small, closed mentality.”

The AC Milan star went on to add that he found one pound deducted from his salary when he drank a fruit juice from a hotel minibar when United went to play an away match. 

“We played and then went home. Some time went by. My payslip arrives. Normally I don’t look at it. I only do so at the end of the year to see what’s come in and what’s gone out. But that time, I don’t know why, I was curious and realised they’d taken a pound off my monthly wage”, he wrote.

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“I didn’t go to the hotel on my own accord. I wasn’t on holiday. It was my workplace. I was there for Manchester. If I have to play and I’m thirsty, I have to drink. I can’t go on the pitch dehydrated”, Zlatan said to the team manager when he found out the reason for the deduction of one pound.  He went on to write, “Can you believe it? A quid? Something like that would never happen in Italy. These are the details that make a difference and earn the respect of the players.”

The 41-year-old also added that he was asked to show his papers every time he entered the Carrington training ground. 

Cristiano Ronaldo has also said that Man United have not progressed along with other clubs like Liverpool and Arsenal, and that manager Erik Ten Hag has not shown him the respect he deserves.

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While United have said they will take a decision “after the full facts have been established”, it is now clear that CR7 days at Old Trafford are nearing an end, and with this interview, he is going out with a bang, and not with a whimper. United are reportedly interested in signing Lautaro Martinez for Inter Milan, and he will be a good replacement if CR7 is let go after the World Cup.