Ten Hag looks back on his conflict with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester

Ten Hag reveals details of his dispute with Ronaldo: the team’s interests come first

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Ten Hag looks back on his conflict with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester

Ten Hag & Cristiano Ronaldo / @x.com/TheUnitedExtra/

Dutch manager Erik ten Hag has broken his silence for the first time, discussing in an interview with « The Athletic » the details of his former dispute with Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo during their time working together at Manchester United.

The “Don” returned to the Red Devils in the summer of 2021, but spent only a few months under the Dutchman before their relationship deteriorated during the 2022-2023 season.

The conflict became clear when the player refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham in October, before criticising the club in a televised interview.

After several weeks of escalating tensions, the two parties agreed in November 2022 to terminate the contract by mutual consent.

🚨 Erik ten Hag: “Cristiano Ronaldo let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him”, told @TheAthleticFC. “I flew out to Portugal to speak with him about what I was aiming for before I came to United”. “He’s one of the best in history. I respected him a lot. But as a manager, I had to make a rational decision”.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 20, 2026

Ten Hag opens up about his showdown with Cristiano Ronaldo

Ten Hag explained, in comments reported by journalist Laurie Whitwell, that despite his great respect for Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese star was not exempt from the demands of collective work: “Every great team needs its best player, but the best player must work for the team.”

The Dutch manager also discussed Ronaldo’s attitude in training, saying that he asked his teammates to conserve their energy, adding: “I can understand it if you are at the peak of your physical condition, but first you have to train to reach the required level of fitness.”

Ten Hag also criticised Ronaldo’s physical condition, explaining: “He was not running with the ball or without the ball because he was not preparing properly.”

The former Manchester United manager spoke of his disappointment with the player, stating: “Ronaldo let the team down and he also let me down, because we had made our plans with him.”

He revealed that he had travelled to Portugal before taking charge of the club in order to discuss his objectives with the Portuguese star.

Despite the tensions between them, the current manager of Dutch club FC Twente continued to hold Ronaldo in high regard, but believed that the team’s interests required him to make difficult decisions.

Erik ten Hag knows what it is like to be in the eye of the storm at Manchester United. @LaurieWhitwell spent two evenings with the Dutchman in his hometown of Enschede, in the east of the Netherlands, to peel back the curtain on his two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford. In part one, Ten Hag talks about: ▪️ The broken “promises” that led to his sacking ▪️ Why he had to act on Cristiano Ronaldo, a player who “let the team down” ▪️ His desire to sign Harry Kane and Declan Rice ▪️ The “toxic culture” and the \"Madrid connection\" that brought player power to the club 🔗 https://t.co/U7pnK2AjIM
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) October 20, 2026

🔴 Flash: Portuguese federation sanctions Cristiano Ronaldo (official)

Mohamed Rek |

Editorfr, ar, en

Mohamed Rek- sports content writer with over 10 years of experience creating football content in Arabic and French for platforms such as Foot Africa and Starafrica, combining accuracy, creativity, and audience engagement.