Even after the Portuguese Football Federation announced his punishment, Cristiano Ronaldo remains in the headlines. Now his former manager, Erik ten Hag, has looked back on their time together at Manchester United in harsh terms.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s early departure from the Portuguese national team during the recent international break had resulted in a relatively lenient punishment. Yet even a day after the conclusion of the federation’s internal disciplinary proceedings, there is still no respite for the 41-year-old superstar.
Erik ten Hag, who managed Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United for half a year during the 2022/23 season before the player moved to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia in January 2023 following a dispute, has now spoken out clearly in an interview with The Athletic: “He let the team down, and he let me down, because we had made plans with him.”
Above all, the attitude of the then 37-year-old striker apparently still troubles ten Hag to this day: “Of course, he is one of the best in the history of football. I respected him greatly,” emphasised the Dutchman: “But at the time, as a manager, I had to make a rational decision and keep the players I admire.” Ronaldo’s commitment simply wasn’t enough.
The 56-year-old Dutchman, who coached Bayern Munich’s Under-23s in Germany between 2013 and 2015 and Bayer 04 Leverkusen between July and September 2025, provides detailed insights in the interview: “I often said to him: ‘Ronnie, everyone is working for you to get you into the right position – but if you can’t get into the penalty area yourself, you can’t score a goal either.’ He wasn’t capable of that,” explained ten Hag: “It’s a misconception to believe that I expected him to take charge of the pressing and completely exhaust himself in the process.” Ronaldo “didn’t run, either with or without the ball. The reason for this was that he hadn’t prepared himself properly”.
These are statements that probably not everyone in the football world shares; after all, many regard Ronaldo as an extremely hard worker who also puts in plenty of extra hours. Yet ten Hag stands by his accusations and remarks tellingly: “Every top team has to accept its best player, but the best player must work for the team. And for some, United wasn’t the top priority.”