Cristiano Ronaldo said he ‘didn’t respect’ Erik ten Hag following their bust-up at Manchester United amid the manager’s dismissal at Bayer Leverkusen.
During Ronaldo’s second stint at Manchester United, Ten Hag was his manager, but their relationship soured.
The Dutchman punished the star forward for refusing to enter as a substitute during a match against Tottenham.
In an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo said: “I don’t have respect for him [Ten Hag] because he doesn’t show respect for me.”
On Ten Hag, who was relieved of his duties at Leverkusen after just two Bundesliga games, Ronaldo hit out at the 55-year-old and claimed he didn’t treat him with respect.
“If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never gonna have respect for you,” he added.
“Not only the manager, but the other two or three guys who are around the club [at the senior executive level]. I felt betrayed. I don’t care, people should listen to the truth. Yes, I felt betrayed. I feel that some people didn’t want me here, not only this year but last season too.”
Leverkusen appointed Ten Hag as their new manager following Xabi Alonso’s departure.
Speaking in pre-season, he said Ronaldo was never the problem at Man United.
“For me he’s [Ronaldo] no problem. He was never the problem and I think that’s the past,” he explained.
“I think it was what happened. It’s the past and after that, we won two trophies at Manchester United. I wish him all the best for the for the future and I wish him the best of luck.”
Ten Hag was fired last October after joining Man United in the summer of 2022.
Prior to his appointment at Leverkusen this summer, he had been unemployed.
However, Ten Hag has been fired by the German team and is no longer in management.
Leave a Reply