Rabat– In an interview with The Athletic, Ten Hag said he had criticized five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo over his performances at Manchester United.
He accused the superstar of “letting down” Manchester United, arguing that Rolando’s preparation and work rate affected his contribution to the Premier League club at the time.
Ronaldo played for Manchester United from 2003-2009 and again from 2021-2022 before he left the club.
Ten Hag recalled an incident following Manchester United’s 4-0 defeat to Brentford in August 2022, when he ordered his players to run laps as a response to their poor performance. According to the former coach, Ronaldo finished one lap early.
“I understand it when you are top fit; you have sessions, you can save the legs,” Ten Hag said, referring to Ronaldo’s alleged approach to training. “But first you have to train yourself to get into the right fitness levels.”
The Dutch coach added that he had expected more from the Portuguese international, who had returned to Manchester United in August 2021 after spells at Real Madrid and Juventus.
“He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him,” Ten Hag said, explaining that he had travelled to Portugal before taking charge of United to discuss his plans with Ronaldo.
Despite the criticism, Ten Hag acknowledged Ronaldo’s standing in football history, saying he had considerable respect for the forward but had to make decisions based on what he believed was best for the team.
The relationship between the two deteriorated during the first half of the 2022-23 campaign. Ronaldo was dropped from the starting lineup on several occasions and was disciplined after refusing to come on as a substitute during a Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur in October 2022.
The conflict escalated in November 2022 when Ronaldo gave a controversial television interview with Piers Morgan, criticising the club and saying he did not respect Ten Hag.
Manchester United subsequently announced that Ronaldo had left the club by mutual agreement in November 2022. He later joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr as a free agent.
The Dutch coach, meanwhile, was dismissed by Manchester United in October 2024 after a difficult start to the 2024-25 season.
