‘They’ve behaved badly towards me’: Cristiano Ronaldo aims dig at Man Utd, Erik ten Hag

Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo taken a few more shots at Manchester United and Erik ten Hag over their relationship during his second spell at the club.

Ronaldo made a fantastic return to Manchester United in the summer of 2021 and impressed during his first season. However, things turned sour in the second campaign as the Portuguese forward struggled for gametime under Erik ten Hag.

The former Real Madrid forward was benched and as such, Ronaldo openly criticized the Red Devils and Ten Hag in an interview, which ended up with his contract being terminated.

Speaking to A Bola, Ronaldo responded to questions about whether he’s ready to represent the national team as a substitute: “In my mind, I’ll always be a starter. That’s what you think. Until the end of my career, I’ll always think that I’ll be a starter.

“I’ll always respect the decisions, not just of the coach, but at the clubs I’ve played for, I’ve always respected them… once or twice, they’ve also behaved badly towards me (laughs). But seriously, whenever there’s professional ethics, I’ll always respect the coaches’ decisions.

“When professional ethics are not respected, there can always be controversy, but that is separate. What I feel at the moment, and the coach’s words also demonstrate this, is that I continue to be an asset to the national team and I will be the first to admit it. If that does not happen, if I am not an asset I will be the first to leave.

“But if I leave, I will go with a clear conscience, as always, because I know who I am, what I can do, what I do and what I will continue to do. I see the present in a very positive way because for me the most important thing is to face each moment, each cycle, and the cycle is good, I feel happy.”

Despite failing to impress at EURO 2024, Ronaldo will join the Portuguese national team squad for their Nations League clashes against Croatia and Scotland before he returns to Saudi Arabia.