Piers Morgan Reveals How Cristiano Ronaldo Orchestrated Bombshell Interview
Ronaldo #Ronaldo
Piers Morgan has revealed why Cristiano Ronaldo came to him for a bombshell interview in which he spoke out against the head coach at Manchester United.
The 37-year-old Portuguese soccer star has slated Erik ten Hag, United’s Dutch manager, and said that he feels “disrespected” by senior staff at the former English Premier League champions.
Speaking to talkSPORT radio in the U.K., Morgan said Ronaldo came to him and said he wanted to do the interview, and that the striker didn’t hold back in expressing his thoughts about what he had found in the organization.
He also claimed there are people at the club who want to force him out.
The interview comes days before Ronaldo joins the Portugal squad ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which starts in a couple of weeks.
Cristiano Ronaldo has spoken out against the coaching staff and senior executives at Manchester United. He gave an explosive interview with Piers Morgan Getty Images
Speaking to talkSPORT presenter Laura Woods, Piers opened up about how the interview came about.
He said: “Cristiano asked me to do it, simple as that. I didn’t ask him, he asked me.”
Laura then asked: “When?”
Piers replied: “Well, recently. He’s been thinking about this for a while. I think it is no secret that he’s felt a built up of deep frustration about what’s been happening at United in the last year, in particular, and certainly this year and he feels it is time to speak out.
“He knows it is going to be incendiary, he knows it is going to rattle some cages but I think he also feels that he should be doing this and he knows people will criticize him but he also knows that what he is saying is true, and sometimes the truth hurts.”
Laura asked again: “When did you do the interview, Piers?”
Piers was being cagey when he replied: “I’m not going to say, I did it recently obviously but that’s between me and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“He’s been thinking about this for a while and I got a call, I want to do it now. I think part of the timing for him was that we’ve got the World Cup about to start, he’s with Portugal and they’ve got a very good team, he could have a good World Cup.
“It gives him a month away from United and it gives time for what he said to settle in and then they can come back and try and resolve things.
“He makes the point repeatedly in the interview, he loves Manchester United, he loves the fans but what he’s come back to is, in his view, a stagnated club which hasn’t moved on at all from when he left it and he can’t understand why not and he feels that if he doesn’t speak out then nothing will change.”
Laura then asked: “Why do you think he chose you to do it?”
Piers replied: “I asked him that and he said, ‘because I like you’, which I know will come as a horrifying shock to you three but there are some people out there who do actually like me but they might be too afraid to admit it in public.”
The Sun has reported that Ronaldo said people at the club were trying to force him out.
He has also claimed that since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson from Manchester United in 2013, there has been “no evolution” and that Fergie had agreed that the club was “not on the path they deserve to be”.
Cristiano Ronaldo (second from right) has claimed that Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag (center, in a suit) wants him out of the club. He has revealed all in a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan for TalkTV. Getty Images
Ronaldo reportedly slams the club for a lack of “empathy” when his young daughter was hospitalized in July.
The soccer star also reportedly had “never heard” of United’s previous coach, Ralf Rangnick.
When asked if the hierarchy at the club were trying to force him out, Ronaldo replied: “Yes, not only the coach, but another two or three guys around the club. I felt betrayed.”
He was then asked whether senior club executive were among those trying to get him out of the club, with Ronaldo replying: “People should listen to the truth. Yes, I felt betrayed and I felt like some people don’t want me here, not only this year but last year too.”
The interview will be shown on Piers Morgan Uncensored on TalkTV over two nights on Wednesday and Thursday.
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