Former Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag says Cristiano Ronaldo 'can no longer deliver'

Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has again taken a potshot at Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese star was with the Premier League club during Ten Hag's tenure as manager from April 2022 to October 2024. Ronaldo eventually fell out with the club and had an unceremonious exit in November 2022. Ten Hag, earlier this month, had also called out Ronaldo for letting him and the team down during his tenure as the United manager. The two had fallen out, with Ronaldo saying during the 2022 FIFA World Cup that he quit because of his falling out with Ten Hag.

Erik ten Hag calls out Ronaldo

"Every top team must embrace the top player, but the top player must also make way for the team. That was simply the problem with Ronaldo," ten Hag said on ESPN. "The players wanted to work for him and they looked up to him, because let there be no misunderstanding about that. He is, of course, a tremendous player, one of the all-time greats."

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"But that is also the reality over the last seven, eight years; he simply can no longer deliver. From Juventus onwards, it’s simply over. That is actually the great gift of Real Madrid. They always know when to say goodbye to players at the right moment. They recognize when a player’s level is declining. And they say goodbye at a moment when, to the outside world, they still appear to be at their peak, but they can no longer actually deliver."

Ronaldo falling out with Portugal manager

Ronaldo recently had a falling out with Portugal manager Jorge Jesus during the UEFA Nations League as well. He had left the squad after not being used as a substitute and then not being selected for the next match. Ronaldo, later on, apologized for his actions and accused Jesus of breaking his word. The Portuguese Football Federation subsequently accepted the apology and slapped a nominal fine on him.