Ronaldo's return to Manchester United was not brilliant (Image: Getty)
Cristiano Ronaldo's long-awaited return to Manchester United in 2021 has been met with disappointment, despite high hopes from fans. The football legend, now 39, built a solid reputation under Sir Alex Ferguson between 2003 and 2009 – scoring 84 Premier League goals and winning three Premier League titles, two League Cups, an FA Cup and a Champions League.
He then made a record-breaking move to Real Madrid for a staggering £80 million. With five Ballon d'Ors to his name, Ronaldo is undeniably one of the most decorated players in football history. His success continued at Madrid and Juventus after his departure from the Red Devils.
However, fans' expectations of a triumphant return to the north-west of England in 2021 were dashed as his grand return under Erik ten Hag didn't go to plan. Here, Express Sport looks at how his last outing at Old Trafford backfired in spectacular fashion…
Harry Maguire Headbutt
Manchester United faced Atlético Madrid in the 2021/22 Champions League round of 16, hoping to win a trophy after a lackluster performance in the Premier League. A 1–1 draw at the Metropolitano Stadium in February 2022 left the teams level ahead of the return leg at Old Trafford the following month.
Renan Lodi's header at the far post in the 41st minute ended Manchester United's hopes of winning the tournament, scoring the only goal of the game. However, Ronaldo's problems were compounded when he accidentally collided with captain Harry Maguire's head during the match.
The two players were involved in a free-kick in the 66th minute, with Maguire attempting to push away Atlético players to create space for the Portuguese star. The free-kick, however, resulted in an unfortunate collision between Ronaldo and Maguire, leaving Ronaldo gritting his teeth in pain. The incident also saw Maguire hit himself in the face with Reinildo Mandava's hand as the ball passed between him and Ronaldo and went out for a goal kick.
Maguire and Ronaldo accidentally collided (Image: BT Sport)
The Broken Phone Incident
In another infamous incident, Ronaldo was accused of “inappropriate and/or violent” conduct and given a two-match ban by the FA for smashing a teenage fan's phone during United's April 2022 match against Everton. After a disappointing 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park, Ronaldo limped off the pitch, knocking a fan's phone out of his hands in frustration following a poor performance.
After a match ban, Cristiano Ronaldo was fined £50,000 for his outburst. In an attempt to rectify the situation after losing his cool, Ronaldo expressed his remorse on Instagram and extended an olive branch to the fan involved. His message read: “It is never easy to manage your emotions in difficult times like the one we are facing.
“We must, however, always be respectful, patient and set an example to all young people who love the beautiful game. I would like to apologise for my outburst and, if possible, I would like to invite this supporter to attend a match at Old Trafford as a sign of fair play and sportsmanship.” However, the mother of the teenager whose phone was damaged is said to have rejected Ronaldo's apology.
He was fined £50,000 for the incident (Image: @evertonhub/Twitter)
Anger, mood
Ronaldo's fiery nature was on display again earlier this year in a match against Brentford. Despite a 3-1 win, Ronaldo was visibly frustrated when he was replaced by Ralf Rangnick with 20 minutes remaining, presumably to allow him to rest after returning from a hip flexor injury.
Ronaldo showed his displeasure by standing with his hands on his hips as he was substituted, then throwing his tracksuit jacket to the ground after receiving it from a staff member. Rangnick appeared to have a quiet conversation with Ronaldo after the episode, likely explaining the reason for the substitution.
Rangnick responded to Ronaldo's apparent displeasure in a post-match interview with BT Sport, saying: “It's normal, a striker wants to score. But he's coming back from a little injury and it was important to remember that we have another game coming up. Also, after what happened at Villa Park, we had to defend our lead this time and it was important to go back to a five-man defence and even though we didn't manage to keep a clean sheet, it was important to make sure nothing else happened.”
Ronaldo returned to Manchester United in 2021 (Photo: Daily Mirror/Andy Stenning)
A premature exit in pre-season
The Portuguese superstar made headlines when he left the stadium before the end of Manchester United's pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano in 2022. Ronaldo, who was replaced by Amad at half-time, was spotted leaving early alongside Diogo Dalot, with footage of their departure circulating online before the match had even finished.
Erik ten Hag expressed his displeasure with Ronaldo's early departure in a subsequent interview with Viaplay Sport Nederland. Asked about the importance of punctuality and attention to detail, Ten Hag was asked pointedly: “At the beginning of the conversation we talked about how important it is for you to have the players arrive on time and your attention to detail. But Cristiano seems to arrive and leave whenever he wants, how do you manage to achieve that?”
The coach replied: “He was allowed to leave for private reasons with his family, so what you are saying is absolutely not true,” but the journalist retorted: “But against Rayo he left the game during the break.” Ten Hag replied curtly: “There were many more players who left,” which led the journalist to ask: “So you think it's OK? Let it go?”
The Dutchman replied firmly: “Certainly not,” and continued: “I certainly do not condone that. It is unacceptable. For everyone. We are a team and we have to stay until the end.”
Ronaldo spoke to Morgan about his thoughts on Manchester United (Image: @piersmorgan/Twitter)
Feeling “betrayed”
In a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan in November 2022, Cristiano Ronaldo vented about his situation at the club, including feelings of “betrayal” and disrespect from Ten Hag. Ronaldo admitted: “I felt betrayed,” prompting Morgan to ask: “That they're trying to get rid of you?”
Ronaldo admitted: “Honestly, I shouldn't say this, I don't know, but I don't care. People should always listen to the truth. Yes, I feel betrayed and I felt that some people didn't want me here, not only this year, but last year too. I don't know what's going on, but since Sir Alex Ferguson left, I feel like there's no evolution at the club.”
He added: “The progress has been zero. For example, you have an interesting point about how the club – like Manchester United – after sacking Ole [Solksjaer] “They bring the sporting directive of Ralf Rangnick, which nobody understands. This guy is not even a coach. A bigger club like Manchester United bringing a sporting directive surprised me, but the whole world.”
Asked about his relationship with current manager Erik ten Hag, Ronaldo expressed his feelings of being underestimated: “I think not. He doesn't respect me the way I should deserve – but that's the way it is.” The Portuguese superstar eventually cut ties with the Red Devils by mutual consent on November 22, 2022, shortly after his shock interview with Piers Morgan was made public.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1937505/from-headbutts-phone-smashing-cristiano-ronaldo-s-tumultuous-return-manchester-united