‘Both sides will be delighted’ – Rio Ferdinand on Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Manchester United
Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo is leaving Manchester United with immediate effect.
The decision comes after a controversial interview in which the 37-year-old criticized the club and said he had “no respect” for manager Erik ten Haag.
Both sides said Ronaldo’s departure was “by mutual consent”.
“The club thanks him for his enormous contribution during his two spells at Old Trafford,” Manchester United said in a statement.
They wished “him and his family well for the future” and added that “everyone at Manchester United remains focused on continuing the team’s progress under Erik ten Hag and working together to achieve success on the pitch”.
United are fifth in the Premier League in Ten Haag’s first season as manager, with the season off for the World Cup in Qatar.
Ronaldo is with Portugal at the tournament and has been set to captain their Group H opener against Ghana on Thursday.
He spoke to the media in Qatar on Monday, saying he “will speak when he wants” and his dispute with United will not “shake up” the Portugal squad.
Ronaldo, who scored 145 goals in 346 games for United, left Juventus to rejoin the Old Trafford club in August 2021 – 11 years after he left to join Real Madrid.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s last appearance for Manchester United was in their 3-1 defeat by Aston Villa on 6 November
He had just over seven months left on his £500,000-a-week United contract and his departure leaves him free to sign for another club when the transfer window opens in January.
“After discussions with Manchester United, we have mutually agreed to terminate our contract early,” Ronaldo said in a statement.
“I love Manchester United and I love the fans, that will never change. However, it feels like the right time for me to look for a new challenge.
“I wish the team every success for the rest of the season and for the future.”
Both parties are satisfied and we can move on – Ferdinand
Ronaldo had not played for United due to an unspecified illness since captaining the team in their 3-1 loss to Aston Villa on 6 November.
He was dropped for last month’s Premier League clash with Chelsea by Ten Hag after refusing to come on as a substitute against Tottenham three days earlier.
In his interview with TalkTV last week, Ronaldo said he had no regrets about refusing to come on as a substitute in the final few minutes of the win against Spurs as he felt Ten Hag had “provoked” him.
He also spoke about how he generally felt “betrayed by the club” and along with his opinion of Ten Haag added that he felt he had been forced out of the club.
He also said he had seen “no evolution” at the club since former manager Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
Ronaldo has hinted that he was close to joining Manchester City before his return to United, while he turned down a £305million deal to join the Saudi Arabian club in the summer.
He spoke about losing his young son in April and how touched he was by the tribute paid to him by Liverpool fans at the game against United at Anfield in the days since.
United responded last Friday with a statement saying they had “taken appropriate steps” in response to the interview.
“Cristiano obviously did this interview with the attitude that he is not happy and wants to leave the club. He made it very clear,” former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand told BBC Sport.
“I think Eric ten Haag also got what he wanted in this situation. Both parties are happy and we can move on.
“The next chapter for Cristiano? It depends on what his motivation is. To play in the Champions League? Money? Continue playing somewhere with a nice climate?
“I’m sure we’ll find out in time.”
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