Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United departure still causes plenty of debate, but he’s shut down any doubts about his feelings for the club.
Ronaldo became a club legend at Old Trafford in his first spell between 2003 and 2009, winning his first Champions League and Ballon d’Or before departing in a then-world record deal for Real Madrid.
Given his achievements at the club and in following spells at Madrid and Juventus, it was no surprise that Red Devils fans were absolutely delighted when he returned in 2021.
However, things went far from swimmingly for Ronaldo in his second stint. The man who signed him – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – was sacked after just three months, and there was instant tension with his replacement.
Erik ten Hag began to lay down the law with the Portugal captain in the 2022/23 season and the two collided spectacularly.
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A shock interview with Piers Morgan in November 2022 saw relations damaged irreparably, and just over a month later Ronaldo was in Saudi Arabia with current side Al Nassr.
Despite all the tension, he’s since revealed he’s completely over the messy divorce, telling Rio Ferdinand as much in a trailer for an interview.
Speaking to his former teammate, he says: “We cannot control some points of our lives sometimes but it’s done, it’s already done.
“I repeat I still love Manchester United and I wish them the best.”
Even when Ronaldo heavily criticised the club during his 2022 interview, he was careful not to upset the supporters.
“As I say, many, many times, the fans, they’re always, I’m always gonna say good things about them,” he explained at the time.
“They are the most important things in football, you play for them. They are always on my side. I feel that every time I go, when I walk in the streets, the fans come to me and they appreciate what I did – what I do for football, and for me, it’s the most important thing in football. The fans for me are everything.”
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Ronaldo also reflected on his emotional return, which coincided with two goals on his second club debut against Newcastle.
“That feeling was amazing,” he said. “But not only the day of the game, I felt before the week, before that everything changed.
“The world spoke about me, Cristiano, back home, back where I belong.
“So it was a special moment to be back to Manchester United and to perform for our fans, and of course to score two goals was the best welcome that I received in Old Trafford.
“It was a memorable day and an unbelievable day, too.”
