Cristiano Ronaldo puts Man United woes to one side, arrives in Qatar for FIFA World Cup

Despite his woes with Manchester United over the explosive interview with Piers Morgan, Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in Qatar for World Cup on Nov 19. Hours before Cristiano Ronaldo’s highly anticipated tell-all interview with Piers Morgan was finally broadcast, Manchester United was pulling down a giant mural outside Old Trafford containing an image of the Portugal superstar. Surely they knew what was coming.

Few at United were spared in a scathing condemnation of the club that Ronaldo delivered in the first part of a 90-minute interview that went out on TalkTV on Wednesday. Past and present teammates. Former managers. The people who run the club. They all got a blast from the one of the world’s biggest sporting superstars, whose days at United are now surely numbered. Excerpts from the interview had already been released on Sunday, including clips where Ronaldo said he felt “betrayed” by United and that he didn’t respect manager Erik ten Hag.

Manchester United later “initiated appropriate steps” in response to Cristiano Ronaldo’s explosive interview with Piers Morgan.The Premier League club’s legal team was waiting to review the full footage of the 90-minute discussion in which Ronaldo criticized United manager Erik ten Hag, teammates and the owners.

“Manchester United has this morning initiated appropriate steps in response to Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent media interview,” the club said Friday. “We will not be making further comment until this process reaches its conclusion.”

The 37-year-old Ronaldo is in Qatar to play in his fifth World Cup with Portugal. But his future at Old Trafford looks to be over, with the forward’s position widely considered untenable even before the full interview aired on Wednesday and Thursday. A potential exit has been complicated by the limited number of clubs being able to meet his reported salary of about 500,000 pounds ($590,000) per week. But if he is found to be in breach of contract, a possible outcome could be the cancellation of his deal.

United also said it wants the process to be concluded swiftly. Ronaldo’s comments have added to an acrimonious few months since Ten Hag took charge at the end of last season. United’s manager already cut the Portugal international him from his squad and forced him to train away from the team when he refused to come on as substitute against Tottenham.

“I think he don’t respect (me) the way I should deserve,” Ronaldo said. “But it is what it is. That is probably why the game against Tottenham, I left. ... This is why I say I don’t have respect for him, because he don’t show respect for me.

“This is why we are in that situation. I have to be honest that things are not going well because of that. Because the empathy don’t exist.”

Ronaldo, who failed to secure a move to a Champions League club in the offseason, paved the way for a potential departure in the January transfer window. “Maybe it’s good for Manchester and probably is good for me as well to have a new chapter,” he said. “Probably. But I don’t know."