Erik ten Hag says Cristiano Ronaldo ‘let the team down’ in Athletic interview

Erik ten Hag has accused Cristiano Ronaldo of "letting the team down" during their time together at Manchester United, saying this in an interview with the Athletic published on 20 October 2026. He outlined a series of disagreements and incidents from his United tenure in the same conversation.

Ronaldo returned for a second spell at United in August 2021 and was already at the club when Ten Hag was appointed as Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s successor in 2022. The relationship between the pair deteriorated quickly, with Ronaldo refusing to come on as a substitute in a win over Tottenham in the October before he then publicly criticised the club in a TV interview. The forward’s contract was mutually terminated the following month.

Ten Hag said of Ronaldo: "He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him," in the interview with the Athletic. He added: "He’s one of the best in football history. I respected him a lot. But at that time, as a manager, I had to make a rational decision and keep the players I admire in."

Ten Hag claimed Ronaldo failed to complete the full post-match run that players were set after they were beaten 4-0 by Brentford early in his reign, and that he confronted the forward about it. Ten Hag told the Athletic: "I confronted him with this," and quoted himself saying: "Many times I say, ‘Ronnie, everyone wants to work for you to bring you in the right position, but if you can’t bring yourself in the box, you can’t score'.."

The former manager said he was dismissed only five months after he won the FA Cup and then signed a contract extension. Ten Hag said discussions with the club’s owners over a new deal included assurances that were not honoured.

Ten Hag accused the owners of breaking commitments and said he was left "embarrassed" when Scott McTominay was sold to Napoli without his consent. He told the Athletic: "They promised me loyalty, they promised me backing, they promised communication, that we get aligned. We spoke about the issues. But the promises, they didn’t keep." He added: "I said, 'No selling Scott McTominay'. And in the end they sold him. I got, of course, very embarrassed and disappointed."