Ten Hag says Ronaldo had to put Manchester United first as he praises Real Madrid’s timing

Erik ten Hag has renewed his criticism of former Manchester United player Cristiano Ronaldo, saying the Portugal forward was no longer able to deliver the level required during the final years of his career.

Ronaldo, now captain of Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, worked with Ten Hag for a brief period at Manchester United in 2022. The forward scored three goals in 16 appearances under the Dutch manager, who said Ronaldo’s individual status could not come before the needs of the team.

“Every big club should embrace its biggest star, but the biggest star must also make sacrifices for the benefit of the team,” Ten Hag told the Good Morning… Eredivisie programme, in comments published by ESPN. “That was simply the problem with Ronaldo.”

Ten Hag, who is now technical director of FC Twente, stressed that his comments were not intended to diminish Ronaldo’s achievements.

“I do not want there to be any misunderstanding from my side,” he said. “Of course, he is a fantastic player and belongs among the greatest footballers in the world.

“But the truth is also that he has not been able to produce the required level during the past seven or eight years. Since he left Juventus, it simply came to an end.”

Ronaldo left Real Madrid in 2018, when he was 33, to join Juventus. Ten Hag said the Spanish club had shown good judgement by allowing him to leave at the right moment.

“This is also one of Real Madrid’s great strengths,” he said. “They understand when a player’s level begins to decline and then let him go while, from the outside world’s perspective, he is still at the peak of his powers, even though in reality he is no longer able to provide the performance required.”

Ten Hag said he had discussed Ronaldo’s situation directly with him, explaining the reasoning behind the decisions that were being made.

“You put the facts in front of him and give him logical and convincing arguments. Then everything becomes completely clear,” he said.

Sports analyst Hans Kraay wondered whether Ronaldo had responded by questioning Ten Hag’s state of mind.

“Did he say to you then that you were not sane?” Kraay asked.

“No, he did not say that at all,” Ten Hag replied. “The evidence was extremely clear. These days, everything in football is monitored and recorded.”

Ten Hag again acknowledged Ronaldo’s contribution to the game, pointing to his five Champions League victories and prolific goalscoring record.

“He has won the Champions League five times and scored such a huge number of goals,” he said. “He has given a great deal to football. We all enjoyed watching him, and so did I. But at that time, I had to make decisions in the best interests of the team and the club.”

Asked whether it was difficult to leave a player of Ronaldo’s stature on the bench or exclude him from the squad, Ten Hag said no individual could be placed above collective priorities.

“No-one is bigger than a club or a country,” he said. “Cristiano Ronaldo is no exception to that, and neither is Lionel Messi. In the end, the team’s interests always come first.”