[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] On the 22nd (local time), the British BBC reported that Cristiano Ronaldo, the world-renowned Portuguese forward who will play the third group stage match of the World Cup against South Korea and Qatar at midnight on the 3rd of next month (Korean time), has parted ways with his club Manchester United (Man Utd).
The reason Ronaldo became a free agent ahead of the crucial World Cup match is due to a conflict with Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag. In an interview on the 14th, Ronaldo caused controversy by saying he feels betrayed by Man Utd and does not respect ten Hag.
BBC reported that both Man Utd and Ronaldo mutually agreed to part ways, and Ronaldo will leave Man Utd immediately. Man Utd released a statement saying, "We thank Ronaldo for his significant contributions as a Man Utd player on two occasions," and "We wish him and his family the best for their future."
Once a teammate of Park Ji-sung, Ronaldo played for Man Utd from 2003 to 2009, rising to become a world-class forward. After leaving Man Utd, he played for world-renowned clubs Real Madrid (Spain) and Juventus (Italy), winning numerous trophies, and made a sensational return to Man Utd last August after 12 years.
Right after his return, Ronaldo performed brilliantly in the 2021-2022 season of the English Premier League (EPL), scoring 18 goals in 30 matches and 24 goals in 38 official games. However, this season, he increasingly clashed with newly appointed Man Utd manager ten Hag and was often left out of matches, eventually leaving Man Utd again after just 1 year and 3 months since his return.
Ronaldo’s departure from Man Utd is also expected to affect Portugal’s performance in the World Cup group stage. There are suspicions that Ronaldo is also in conflict with Bruno Fernandes, a key player of the Portugal national team.
Fernandes, also a Man Utd player, reportedly grew dissatisfied with Ronaldo as his complaints about Man Utd negatively affected the team atmosphere.
On the 21st, Ronaldo spoke about the team atmosphere at training. He said, "Recent controversies may sometimes shake the players, but the team does not waver," and added, "Please do not ask other players about my story, but ask questions about the World Cup and the national team."
Portugal will face Ghana in the first match of Group H in the Qatar World Cup group stage at 1 a.m. on the 25th. They will then play Uruguay in the second match on the 29th, and face South Korea in the final third match.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
