Cristiano Ronaldo made his disgust clear during his second spell with Manchester United – even with one of his own teammates.
The Portuguese forward received a hero’s welcome as he re-signed for the Red Devils in 2021. And despite a promising first season, things very quickly went wrong.
He publicly fell out with manager Erik ten Hag, while an explosive interview with Piers Morgan saw his contract terminated. Ronaldo then left for Saudi side Al-Nassr.
One of his other complaints during his time at Old Trafford was the club captaincy. Reports at the time claimed that the forward was keen to replace then captain Harry Maguire, a move that was rejected by interim boss Ralf Rangnick.
But it appears that Ronaldo’s complaints were not just limited to the manager’s office. According to The Telegraph, the veteran would regularly roll his eyes when Maguire spoke in the dressing room.
In the England defender’s defence, he never rose to any petulance from his teammate. Amid reports that there was a rift between the two United stars, he rejected them out of hand.
“I’ve seen a lot of reports about this club that aren’t true and this is another,” he posted on social media. “Not going to start posting about everything that is written but I needed to make this one clear. We’re united and focused on Sunday. Enjoy your day everyone.”
Since Ronaldo’s departure, Maguire has been through a rollercoaster spell with the Red Devils. He eventually did have the captaincy stripped from him by Ten Hag, and looked to be on the way out of the club amid interest from West Ham United.
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But the ex-Leicester man remained and has enjoyed a resurgence under Ruben Amorim. Maguire was recently rewarded with an extra year on his deal after United chiefs decided to activate an option in his contract.
Speaking last month, Amorim was full of praise for the defender, and even hinted he could captain the club once again in the absence of Bruno Fernandes. He said: “You will have to wait and see about the captain.
“He’s [Maguire] working really well. He’s focused on the job, not what people say. He has no excuses – even if he’s had some tough moments. In that respect, he’s an example. He’s there to play to help the team and he’s trying to do that.”
Regarding Ronaldo, he finally got his wish of becoming captain of United in what turned out to be his final game against Aston Villa. He is now captain of Al-Nassr and also skippers Portugal.
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