In the most recent contentious chapter in his topsy-turvy time at Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo has come under fire from the footballing community again after he stormed down the tunnel before his team’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham on Wednesday night.
Fred and Bruno Fernandes’ goals helped Erik ten Hag’s team defeat Spurs at Old Trafford.
However, the three points were swiftly overshadowed by more antics from the Portuguese outcast as he headed for the locker room just before the game’s end.
Insisting that he will “deal with” the player, United manager Erik ten Hag would understandably be unhappy that the controversy has overshadowed a commanding victory.
Ronaldo has now received a round of stern criticism from the pundits for his behaviour as speculation around his future at the club continues to swirl.
What Has Been Said About Ronaldo?
TalkSport’s Gabriel Agbonlahor leads the fury at the forward. The former Aston Villa man labelled him ‘a spoiled brat’ after leaving the dugout yet again.
He added that the group play better without him and he should be left out of their next matchday squad to face Chelsea.
“Ronaldo is a spoilt brat, let’s be honest,” he said. He’s 37, he’s had the best career and is probably one of the best players to play the game.
“Your team, who you’re meant to love, are playing the best football that they’ve played in years and absolutely battered Spurs.
“They play better without him. Ronaldo came on against Everton and scored a goal and did well. Then he started against Newcastle and was poor, got taken off and had a huff.
“I rate Ten Hag for not being pressured to play Ronaldo. To walk down the tunnel like that, for me, is a disgrace.
“You can’t do that. It’s so disrespectful to your teammates and if I’m the players in the changing room with Ronaldo after the game and find out about it, I want my manager to make a statement. I’d leave Ronaldo out of the Chelsea game.
“It’s disrespectful. Yes, he’s one of the best and scored 700 goals but you can’t disrespect your teammates. He made it about him.”
Meanwhile, a fuming Danny Mills told Sky Sports that Ronaldo has an ego issue and ‘thinks he’s bigger than the club’.
“It’s an absolute disgrace. That’s disrespectful to the team, to the manager, to the fans. They’re winning 2-0, what complaint can he have?
“If they were losing 2-0, it still wouldn’t be right, but I would sort of understand it. He clearly thinks he’s bigger than the football club. That’s absolutely disgraceful.”
What Else Has Been Said Ronaldo?
Sportsmail columnist Micah Richards also turned on Ronaldo while appearing on BBC Breakfast, saying he antics were ‘unprofessional’.
“It is so poor,” he said. “For someone we have looked up to for so long, one of the greats of the game. Yesterday was so frustrating just because Ronaldo made it about him.
“The team got a great win over Spurs. Ten Hag had problems with him in pre-season as well, not wanting to sell him.
“The team has done really well without him starting, so for him to do that, it was just unprofessional.”
Former Coventry and Aston Villa star Dion Dublin – who played for United for two years – was much harsher with his criticism of the Portuguese international.
“I’d probably want to get him around the throat and say ‘what are you doing?’ he said while working as a pundit.
“It’s out of order. I love Ronaldo, I’ve got a lot of respect for him. I think he should be getting more minutes and think he can make a difference more than most. However, the game’s still going on, your team-mates are still playing.
“It basically says ‘I don’t really care’. For me in the dressing room it says ‘I’m off’ and ‘I don’t really care about my team-mate’.
“I know he does and I know he’s passionate for playing for Man United, but tonight I think he’s massively in the wrong.”
His fellow pundit Tim Sherwood said the episode was ‘quite shocking’ and that he was left feeling ‘angry’ about what he had just seen.
“I think it’s quite shocking,” he said. “(Erik) Ten Hag made all his changes and Ronaldo has just gone down the tunnel.
“It’s a public show of dissent against the manager. It’s not a good look, in my opinion. I’m quite angry about it. I love Ronaldo but I think there are ways you go about it.
“He (Ten Hag) talked about in the Manchester derby about not putting him on the pitch because he wanted to show him respect, and I feel Ronaldo’s shown him a lack of disrespect by walking down the tunnel.”
Was Ten Hag Right To Leave Ronaldo On The Bench?
And Match of the Day present Gary Lineker – never usually far away from the biggest topics in football – also waded into the debate.
“We all know what a great player he has been but walking off the pitch as a substitute two minutes before the game has finished. I’m sorry, that is unacceptable. That is poor,” Lineker said.
While Ten Hag opted not to linger too long on the situation – veteran manager Neil Warnock went further and said he would have ignored him after the incident, and then “ruined his day off”.
“If it wasn’t Ronaldo, I’d be tempted to say “He’s got to go in January, can I get rid of him now?” he told talkSport.
“I think it actually helped Ten Hag because now he has sympathy and he can’t go wrong now.
“It was good for the manager – but I wouldn’t have talked to him. I’d have praised the lads and then flippantly said to Ronaldo, I’ll see you in the morning at 10am, so it ruins his day off.
In yet another rant from a pundit on talkSport, Jamie O’Hara and Jason Cundy were next to batter Ronaldo on the airwaves.
O’Hara called Ronaldo ‘a disgrace’, adding: ‘Ronaldo walks down the tunnel in the 89th minute – it’s a disgrace!
“The best performance for Man United of the season so far, and Ronaldo walks off down the tunnel.
“And the tunnel at Old Trafford is not right by the dugout, you’ve got to walk the length of the pitch, almost. How disrespectful is that to your teammates?’
Cundy added: “It’s all for show. That’s why I wouldn’t take Ronaldo [at Chelsea]. The baggage. He is a brilliant footballer and he will score goals but that’s the reason.
“[Erik] Ten Hag has still got a problem with him, and January can’t come quick enough for Ten Hag to move him on. He wants to move on, there’s petulance.
Related Stories: Erik Ten Hag Lauds His United Team After Dominant Tottenham Win
“And what does that do to other players? No doubt he’s a brilliant influence in the dressing room, but the petulance shown like that in public that’s not on, that’s not fair.”
Even before Ronaldo had walked out of Old Trafford, Alan Shearer aimed another dig at the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, claiming team-mate Fernandes looks happier on the pitch when his Portuguese compatriot isn’t playing.
“Would I be stirring if I said Bruno looks happier in this team without Ronaldo?”, Shearer said.
“I just look at his performance tonight and his energy and look at his leadership and the qualities he has offered both defensively and offensively and he has done so much for them in this performance tonight. He deserved that goal.”
Ronaldo stormed down the tunnel on a handful occasions last season after United had lost points – including against Everton, Newcastle and Aston Villa – and he also came under fire for smashing a fan’s phone out of their hands.
COMMENTS