Cristiano Ronaldo calls out Jim Ratcliffe and Man Utd hint dropped | Football | Sport
Cristiano Ronaldo has hit out at Manchester United and Sir Jim Ratcliffe for failing to make changes within the club and insisted that their coach cannot be blamed for their struggles on the pitch.
The Portuguese infamously fell out with Erik ten Hag in his second stint at Old Trafford and left the club in December 2022 after having his contract mutually terminated.
Ronaldo made a number of claims about the apparent toxic atmosphere under the Glazers in a wide-ranging interview with Piers Morgan, as well as claiming he had no respect for Ten Hag.
He also hit out at his former clubmates such as Gary Neville and Wayne Rooney on his way out of the club.
But it seems the 39-year-old, now playing in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, has sympathised with the Dutchman – and claims nothing has changed in the two years since he has left.
With United now 14th in the Premier League after struggling to get back to winning ways under their new coach, Ruben Amorim, Ronaldo refused to point the finger at his compatriot and suggested their problems start at the very top with a bizarre fish analogy.
“I say this one year ago, and I will continue to say it, the problem is not the coach,” Ronaldo said at the Globe Soccer Awards.
“It’s like the aquarius. If you have the fish inside, it’s sick, and you take it out, and then you fix the problem, then you put it again in aquarius, they will be sick again. And this is the problem.
“Manchester United is the same. The problem is not only the coach, it’s much more than that… 100 per cent [it is still the same].”
Ratcliffe has come under fire since taking a 27.7 per cent stake in United for £1.4bn, with his INEOS regime criticised for introducing brutal cuts to the club’s non-football staff and failing to offload expensive flops such as Antony.
When asked if he had been in discussions with the Glazers about buying a stake in the club in the future, Ronaldo indicated he had already considered the idea of helping run United – and vowed to one day become an owner of a ‘big club.
“If I will be the owner of the club [Manchester United], I will make the things clear and adjust what I think is bad there,” Ronaldo added.
“I’m still very young, I have so many plans and dreams ahead. Mark my words, [one day] I will be owner of a big club.”
While Ronaldo’s net worth puts him well below British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Portuguese superstar may well have the funds to buy another renowned club in the five European leagues.
Ronaldo is estimated to be worth £613million ($800m), having earned £344m from his contract at Al-Nassr alone. He also earns substantial amounts from sponsorship deals with Nike, Adidas, Herbalife and Unilever.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has also been linked with taking an executive role with his boyhood club Sporting when he hangs up his boots.
