Cristiano Ronaldo earned immense respect from his former teammate Juan Mata during their time together at Manchester United.
Even at 36, Ronaldo demonstrated his exceptional skills and dedication upon his return to Old Trafford. Far from merely relaxing, the Portuguese superstar proved his worth by playing 54 games for the “Red Devils” over nearly two seasons, scoring an impressive 27 goals.
However, after an interview with content criticizing the team and the new coach Ten Hag at the time, the Board of Directors terminated CR7’s contract and he moved to the promised land of Arabia.
Despite what he shared, Ronaldo is said to still be respected by his other teammates, and they even praise the Portuguese superstar. Confirming this, Juan Mata, who was Ronaldo’s teammate at the time, shared about the respect that this player and his teammates have for Ronaldo.
Mata shared: “When United signed Cristiano, I thought we could win the Premier League again. He has such a high level that he can drag the entire team with him. I always thought that in the final minutes of the game, around minute 80, you had to pass the ball to him to win.
It always appears at important moments. However, unnecessary controversies prevented him from getting more quality minutes in his second season. I connected with Cristiano through many conversations. He is a much closer person than people think.”
After Ten Hag took over as captain at Man Utd, Ronaldo’s position in the team was no longer secure. The former Real Madrid star usually sits on the bench and this seems to have touched the pride of this superstar.
In the fateful interview with journalist Piers Morgan, Ronaldo did not hesitate to criticize Ten Hag, in addition to making derogatory comments about the team’s situation. Immediately afterwards, the Portuguese superstar had his contract terminated and went on to play for Al Nassr until then.
