Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag believes Cristiano Ronaldo’s career at the highest level effectively ended when Real Madrid allowed him to join Juventus in 2018.
Ten Hag and Ronaldo had a strained relationship during their time together at Manchester United in the first half of the 2022/23 season, which eventually resulted in a public fallout.
Ronaldo was reportedly unhappy with United’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, while Ten Hag left the Portuguese forward out of his starting lineup on several occasions.
The disagreement escalated when Ronaldo criticised the Dutch manager during an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, claiming he had no respect for him. Manchester United subsequently terminated his contract.
Ten Hag reignited their feud last month after describing Ronaldo as a lazy trainer during an interview with The Athletic.
Speaking to ESPN in the Netherlands, the former United boss acknowledged Ronaldo’s greatness but insisted his performances had declined significantly since leaving Real Madrid.
“He is, of course, a tremendous player, one of the greats of all-time,” Ten Hag said.
“But that is also the reality; over the last seven, eight years, he can simply no longer deliver. From Juventus onwards, it’s simply over.
“And that is actually the great gift of Real Madrid – they always know when to say goodbye to players at the right moment.”
Ronaldo enjoyed a remarkable spell at Real Madrid between 2009 and 2018, scoring 446 goals in 435 appearances and winning four Champions League titles.
Although his scoring rate declined at Juventus, he still managed 101 goals in 134 appearances for the Italian club.
During his second spell at Manchester United between 2021 and 2022, he scored 27 goals in 54 matches.
Ten Hag also revealed that he had confronted Ronaldo about his declining performances, although he did not disclose the Portuguese star’s reaction.
He added: “You hold a mirror up to him, and you show him the evidence. It’s very clear.”
Meanwhile, Ronaldo, 41, was recently handed a 30-day suspension by the Portuguese Football Federation following a reported disagreement with fellow coach Jorge Jesus.
The suspension is expected to rule him out of Portugal’s upcoming Nations League fixtures against Denmark and Wales.
However, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner could return to international action in 2027, with Portugal already securing qualification for the Nations League quarter-finals scheduled for March.
