Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo said Manchester United needs ’to rebuild everything' to win another Champions League title.
International soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo cherishes his time at Manchester United and contends the club needs a complete overhaul to get back atop the English Premier League and win another Champions League title.
Ronaldo, who played for Manchester United from 2003–09 and again in 2021–22, made those comments on the “
Rio Ferdinand Presents” YouTube program, which aired on Thursday, and caused a stir among the European soccer community.
Manchester United is currently in
14th place in the early English Premier League standings and has not won a league title
since 2012–13.“When I’m back there, I was very happy. I was one of the best scorers. I did unbelievable things with the club,” Ronaldo said on the program. “Manchester, they need to rebuild everything, in my opinion. The coach, they say they cannot compete to win the league and Champions League. You cannot say that as the Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the league or Champions League. You have to ... say, listen, maybe we don’t have that potential, but I cannot say that. We’re going to try. You have to try.”
Ronaldo was one of the most prolific scorers in
Manchester United’s history, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances and leading them to a Champions League title in 2008. Manchester United’s legendary coach, Sir Alex Ferguson, has lauded Ronaldo for his performance with the club.
Ferguson won a record 13 Premier League titles over his 27 years as Manchester United’s manager.
“Cristiano has been a marvelous player for Manchester United. His contribution has been a major factor in the club’s success in that time, and his talent, his ability to entertain, and his infectious personality have enthralled fans the world over,” Ferguson said when Ronaldo departed for Real Madrid in 2009.
Even though the 39-year-old Ronaldo is playing for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, he still cares deeply about the storied English club.
While Manchester United’s current manager, Eric Ten Hag, said he was not bothered by Ronaldo’s comments, he does not agree that the club cannot win a league title in its current state. However, Ten Hag did preach patience as some of the club’s younger players, such as Harry Amass and Toby Collyer, need time to develop.
“He is far away in Saudi, far away from Manchester, so everyone can have an opinion and is entitled to have an opinion. It is OK,” Ten Hag said about Ronaldo in his
weekly media conference on Thursday. “It doesn’t impact me. I know in the process where we are, where we’re going. We’re in the transition period, we have to integrate a lot of young players in the team.”
Ronaldo’s criticism comes on the heels of Manchester United’s
back-to-back losses in the first three games of the Premier League season. After beating Fulham 1–0 in the opener, Manchester United lost to Brighton & Hove Albion 2–1 after allowing the winning goal in extra time. The Red Devils were beaten handily 3–0 by Liverpool the following game.
Those losses have also brought new criticism on Ten Hag, who is the
fifth manager of the club since 2016. The lack of stability has likely impacted the performance on the field.
Nonetheless, Ten Hag is confident with his players. He said the club shouldn’t be judged by how it started the season but rather by how it finishes.
“It is OK. We will see where we are in May next year,”
Ten Hag said. “It is very early in the season; it is about winning trophies, being as high as possible, of course, in the league, doing everything we can to win every game. Then, we will see in May where we are.”
