Ronaldo on why Wayne Rooney criticises him: 'He finished his career, I’m still playing'

Portuguese football captain Cristiano Ronaldo recently sat down with Piers Morgan for an explosive interview, where he made notable revelations about his second stint with Premier League club Manchester United. The 37-year-old admitted having ‘no respect’ for the United manager Erik ten Hag, while also revealing that he feels betrayed by the club as they forced his exit from the team during the summer transfer window. At the same time, he lashed out at Ten Hag, the club and former interim manager Ralf Rangnick. 

Cristiano Ronaldo on Rooney criticism

During the interview, Ronaldo also spoke about being criticized by former teammates like Wayne Rooney. During a conversation with talkSPORT last week, Rooney criticized the footballer for his actions this season. Revealing his thoughts on the comments made by Rooney, the 37-year-old said, “I don’t know why he criticises me so badly... probably because he finished his career and I’m still playing at high level. “I’m not going to say that I’m looking better than him. Which is true."

What did Rooney say about Ronaldo?

Ronaldo made headlines last month for walking off the field despite the match not being finished. Rooney, however, wanted to see the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to tone down and accept whatever the role given to him by Ten Hag.

“No, I don’t think so," Rooney said when asked on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast if Manchester United are a better team with Ronaldo.

“Him and Messi are arguably the two best players of all-time and you can go either way with that, whatever way you decide. But I just think the things he has done from the start of the season, it is not acceptable for Manchester United. I’ve seen Roy Keane defending him. Roy wouldn’t accept that. Roy wouldn’t accept that at all," Rooney said.

“It is a distraction which Manchester United don’t need at the minute, trying to rebuild. For Cristiano, just get your head down and work and be ready to play when the manager needs you. If he does that, he will be an asset. If he doesn’t, it will become an unwanted distraction," Rooney concluded. 

'I saw no evolution in the club': Ronaldo on United post-Sir Alex Ferguson era

The footballer also mentioned in his comments that United have failed to move forward since his first departure from Old Trafford in 2013. Explaining the same, Ronaldo added that they didn’t progress at all after legendary football manager Sir Alex Ferguson left the team. With his comments, Ronaldo has surely rocked the footballing world, ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar.

ALSO READ | Cristiano Ronaldo reveals why he doesn't respect Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag

“I followed my heart," Ronaldo said. "He [Ferguson] said to me, 'It's impossible for you to come to Manchester City,' and I said, 'OK, Boss. The progress was zero. Since Sir Alex left, I saw no evolution in the club. Nothing had changed. He [Ferguson] knows better than anybody that the club is not on the path they deserve to be. He knows. Everyone knows. The people who don't see that. It's because they don't want to see; they are blind,” Ronaldo added.