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I feel betrayed.’ Ronaldo accuses Ten Hag of trying to force him out of Man Utd

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he believes Manchester United and manager Erik ten Hag have tried to force him out of the club.

The 37-year-old, who missed Sunday’s 2-1 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage through illness, made the admission during an interview with Piers Morgan. Snippets of Morgan’s world exclusive with the United ace was released on Sunday evening, just an hour after details of the interview were revealed.

Ronaldo wanted to leave United during the summer transfer window in pursuit of Champions League football but was blocked from leaving by the club, who regularly reiterated that he had a big part to play in new manager Ten Hag’s plans. He missed the club’s pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia due to ‘personal reasons’ and has struggled to nail down a place in the team this season.

Now, following a statement he released back in August, confirming that he would reveal the ‘truth’ in an interview, Ronaldo has confirmed that he feels “betrayed” by United, insisting that both Ten Hag and senior members of staff at Old Trafford have tried to force him out.

Asked if United were trying to force him out, Ronaldo told Piers Morgan Uncensored: “Yes. Not only the coach, but two or three other guys around the club.”

Asked if they were at senior executive level, Ronaldo continued: “Yes. I felt betrayed. Honestly, I shouldn’t’ say that, I don’t know. But I don’t care, people should listen.

“I feel betrayed and I felt that some people didn’t want me here, not only this year but last year too.”

Ronaldo continued to criticize Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, saying, “I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me,” per the Sun. “If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never gonna have respect for you. If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never gonna have respect for you.”

Former manager Ralf Rangnick was also the target of Ronaldo’s ire. “If you’re not even a coach, how are you going to be the boss of Manchester United,” Ronaldo told the Sun. “I’d never even heard of him.”

Ronaldo also ripped Manchester United’s training facilities, saying the team did not make improvements under Rangnick. Former teammate Wayne Rooney also found himself in the crosshairs, with Ronaldo saying, “I don’t know why he criticizes me so badly … probably because he finished his career and I’m still playing at high level.”

Then he chuckles and adds: “I’m not going to say that I’m looking better than him. Which is true . . . ”

At home, back in April, he and his partner Georgina suffered the unbearable loss of their baby son during childbirth, a heart-breaking tragedy in which the boy’s twin sister survived.

Somehow, he found the strength to continue playing, fuelled in part by the astonishing support he received from fans of rival clubs such as Liverpool, where the crowd sang You’ll Never Walk Alone on the seventh minute (Ronaldo wears No 7 on his shirt) of their next home game.

He admits: “I never expected to see that.”

He and Georgina also received a personal note of condolence from the Royal Family, which amazed and touched him in equal measure.

Shockingly, he was less well supported by his club who he accuses of a lack of “empathy”, especially when his three-month-old daughter was hospitalised in July, and he could not return on time for pre-season training because he wanted to stay with her.

Ronaldo says senior executives at Old Trafford even doubted him when he explained why he couldn’t return, which made him feel “hurt” and “bad”.

This wasn’t how the fairy tale was supposed to end.

It was just over 14 months ago that Ronaldo sensationally re-signed for Manchester United in a comeback story that stunned and enthralled the world of football.

He was heading to United’s great rivals Manchester City when a personal appeal from his great mentor and father figure, Sir Alex Ferguson, drove him back to where he started.

This wasn’t how the fairy tale was supposed to end. – Piers Morgan
“I followed my heart,” he says simply, tapping his chest. “He (Sir Alex) said to me, ‘It’s impossible for you to come to Manchester City’, and I said, ‘OK, Boss’.”

In his first game back at Old Trafford, the self-styled “Theatre of Dreams”, he scored twice in a thumping 4-1 victory over Newcastle, cheered on in the stands by Sir Alex and Ronaldo’s ecstatic weeping mother.

The delirious United fans chanted “Viva Ronaldo” for hours after the game.

As his team-mate Marcus Rashford tweeted that night: “Like he never left.”

But very soon, cold, hard reality hit. This was a very different Manchester United to the club he first departed in 2009.

Or rather, to his dismay, it was just the same, and hadn’t moved on at all, and was now run by what he perceives to be inferior people to those who ran things before.

He was shocked by the lack of improvements to training facilities, from the pool and the gym to the kitchen (nutrition and diet), and in technology.

“The progress was zero,” he sighs. “Since Sir Alex left, I saw no evolution in the club. Nothing had changed.”

And he was dismayed by the dismissive attitude of many of the younger players, who seemed to have no interest in learning the lessons he had gleaned in his magnificent career.

Since Sir Alex left, I saw no evolution in the club.

Ronaldo On Man Utd
Most pertinently, he was disillusioned to find that, after years of failure and stagnation, United could no longer sign the world’s very best players, making their chance of winning top trophies much harder.

“I think the fans should know the truth,” he says. “I want the best for the club. This is why I come to Manchester United.

“But you have some things inside that don’t help (us) reach the top level as 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.”

At the centre of his discontent is that Ronaldo hates losing and wants to operate in a winning environment — of the kind he doesn’t believe exists at United now and may need drastic steps to fix, including him leaving.

He says: “As Picasso said, you have to destroy it to rebuild it (the artist’s exact quote was: ‘Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.’) and if they start with me, for me, it’s not a problem.

“I love Manchester United, I love the fans, they’re always on my side. But if they want to do it different… they have to change many, many things.”

As for what Sir Alex thinks of the current situation, Ronaldo says: “He knows better than anybody that the club is not on the path they deserve to be.

“He knows. Everyone knows. The people who don’t see that… it’s because they don’t want to see; they are blind.”

I first interviewed Cristiano three years ago in Turin, Italy, when he was still playing for Juventus, and we ended up having a four-hour dinner together.

Since then, we’ve become very unlikely but very good friends. We text and speak a lot, and he has always been incredibly honest with me.

He’s a very smart, likeable guy who has given a lot of careful thought to doing this interview.

I’ve felt the frustration and anger building inside him for many months.

Robert Lewandowski set to miss Barcelona-Atletico Madrid due to extra suspension

Robert Lewandowski’s red card looked as if it might be costly in Pamplona, as it left Barcelona a goal and a man down after just half an hour. They managed to turn the match around and take all three points to back to Barcelona, but the dismissal could be more costly down the line.

Gerard Pique was also sent off but will face little punishment, as he is retiring, although his tirade against the referee would likely have gotten him a far worse suspension.

However Lewandowski’s gestures as he left the pitch, rubbing his nose with his index finger, could land him in trouble. The referee’s report details that he made multiple gestures of disapproval as he came off the pitch and then pointed at the referee, as per Sport.

If the disciplinary committee considers it as disregard towards the referee, they will add two matches onto the one-game suspension he would have had for the red itself.

Former Atletico Madrid and Borussia Moenchengladbach defender Alvaro Dominguez did add some context to the matter, explaining that the gesture means arrogant in Germany. Whether that helps matters or not will be seen in the decision.

It would rule the Polish striker out of games against Espanyol (which he will definitely miss), Real Betis and Atletico Madrid, keeping him out of action for Barcelona for over two months in total. Given the difficulty of those games, it may well cost Barcelona more points than they gained in Pamplona.

Lewandowski’s actions spoke to the indiscipline Barcelona have shown at various points this season. The striker himself has admitted he is taking on a leadership role at the club and this flies in the face of that.

Why ignoring the plight of the boy child really damages his self esteem

I believe that children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be” I was returning from work one evening in the last week of January 2021, when I became an unwilling witness to a grisly affair: a boy about eleven years of age, who was hawking bread, was run over by a speeding car. I still recall the image of the smashed skull each time I see young boys and girls hawking goods and running after moving vehicles on busy roads. Social apathy and desperation everywhere in the country reproduce scenes of abuses and exploitation. Children of school age work at various unexpected places and are subjected to rigours meant for adults. The family appears to be compromising all family ideals in the face of biting economic realities. The Nigerian Government, aware that it is partly responsible for this negative phenomenon, has refused to be proactive in this area despite being a signatory to the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children since 30th September,1990.

Ronaldo & Mings are caught in on-field wrestling match during Aston Villa win

Cristiano Ronaldo and Tyrone Mings were caught up in an on-field tussle during Aston Villa’s 3-1 win over Manchester United on Sunday.

The two came to blows just before the hour mark during a United attack, when a simple jockey for position turned into a grappling match on the penalty spot.

The two were eventually separated by players from both sides before they each received a yellow card, with VAR checking the incident for reds, but no action was taken.

With Aston Villa 3-1 up and United youngster Alejandro Garnacho carrying the ball forward on the right, players fought to take up the best position in the penalty areas ahead of a potential cross.

Mings and Ronaldo seemed to grab hold of each other simultaneously, with neither player willing to let go.

The ball ran out of play but both players continued to tussle, turning their attention to one another, before Mings hit the ground, Ronaldo still attached.

Lucas Digne and Douglas Luiz were the first players in to help separate things, before a heated exchange began which saw a melee of players run over.

When things calmed down, referee Anthony Taylor showed a card to both players, who were relieved to see it was red rather than yellow, which stood after a VAR check.

Villa won the game 3-1 in Unai Emery’s first match in charge since taking over from Steven Gerrard, as United slipped to their first league defeat in six games.

The Midlands side raced into a 2-0 lead after strikes from Leon Bailey and Digne, but a Jacob Ramsey own goal halved the deficit just before the break.

Ramsey though made it 3-1 early in the second half as Villa saw the game out to earn a much-needed three points.

Ronaldo captained United despite making his desire to leave the club clear and causing controversy when he refused to come on as a substitute during the Red Devils’ win over Tottenham in October.

OFFICIAL: Chelsea appoint Stewart as new technical director from AS Monaco

Chelsea confirm Monaco chief Laurence Stewart is joining as their new technical director.

Controlling owner Todd Boehly has been busy revamping Chelsea’s staff off the pitch and he has pushed hard to land Stewart, who will focus on ‘football globally’ as part of his new role.

Stewart said: ‘I’m delighted to be joining Chelsea and excited about the vision and direction of the club under the new ownership group.

‘I am excited to join them to help them build a world-class global sporting organisation to consistently win on the pitch at the highest levels and provide player pathways to help develop our talent.’

Chelsea chairman Boehly and co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali added: ‘Laurence is an important appointment as we plan to build a deep sporting team that will collaborate closely.

‘Laurence is a world-class football leader who understands talent management, data and scouting, player development and performance.’

Stewart is seen as a real coup for Boehly as he fleshes out his recruitment off the pitch