Ten Hag: Cristiano Ronaldo 'let the team and let me down' during Old Trafford spell
Erik ten Hag said Cristiano Ronaldo "let the team and let me down" during the Dutchman's spell at Old Trafford in comments published on 20 October 2026. Ronaldo had given an interview in November in which he said he did not "respect" Ten Hag.
Ronaldo was in his second spell at Manchester United after returning from Juventus in 2021 when he was 36, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the manager at the time. Ten Hag took charge in the summer of 2022 and Ronaldo left the club a few months later in what the article describes as controversial circumstances. Ten Hag told The Athletic he had flown to Portugal to discuss his aims with Ronaldo before joining United. "Obviously, 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 said.
Ten Hag criticised Ronaldo's work-rate and preparation, saying: "It's the wrong idea to put this to me that I expected him to do the pressing, that he's exhausted," and adding, "But he couldn't. He ran neither in possession nor out of possession. The reason was because he didn't prepare himself." He also stated, "Every top team has to embrace the top player, but the top player has to work for the team." Ten Hag described team-mates being told to "save your legs at the training", saying it is understandable when a player is "top fit" but that "first you have to train yourself to get into the right fitness levels."
Ten Hag recalled a specific disciplinary episode in October 2022, when he dropped Ronaldo for a Premier League game at Chelsea after the forward had refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham three days earlier. Ronaldo's subsequent interview in November said he felt "betrayed" by United, claimed he did not respect Ten Hag and said he was being forced out of the club prior to his departure being "mutually agreed".
Under Ten Hag, Ronaldo scored three goals in 16 outings before leaving during the 2022-23 campaign. Ten Hag was sacked by Manchester United in October 2024 after winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024. He said he wanted to sign Frenkie de Jong, Harry Kane and Declan Rice and opposed the sale of Scott McTominay to Napoli in August 2024, adding: "I said for the first season, 'centre-half, there's a problem, centre-midfield, there is a problem, and especially I need a strategist, then we need goals'. And that was the biggest issue in all my three years: goals," said Ten Hag.
The publication of Ten Hag's interview coincided with news that Ronaldo has been given a 30-day suspension and fined 255 euros (£215) by the Portuguese Football Federation for leaving his country's international camp last month.