Cristiano Ronaldo betrayed me — Ex-Man Utd boss Ten Hag

The Dutch tactician has claimed the Portuguese superstar “betrayed me and the team” during their time together at Old Trafford.

Speaking to The Athletic, Ten Hag revealed he had meticulously planned around Ronaldo before taking the job.

“He betrayed me, and he betrayed the team, because we had planned everything together,” the Dutchman said.

“Before arriving at United, I had even gone to Portugal to talk to him about my plans. Obviously, he is one of the best in the history of football, and I respected him enormously, but at that point I had to make a rational decision.”

Ten Hag claimed Ronaldo failed to prepare properly and did not put in the required effort.

“I told him several times: ‘Ronnie, everyone wants to work for you and put you in the right position to score, but if you don’t get into the box, you can’t score.’ He simply wasn’t able to do it.

"It’s wrong to say I expected him to press, but he couldn’t do it. He didn’t run either in possession or out of possession because he hadn’t prepared.”

The former United boss also accused Ronaldo of undermining the squad’s training culture.

“Every top-level team has to accommodate their best player, but the best player has to work for the team. Instead, he told the players: ‘Save your legs in training.’”

The comments rekindle the bitter fallout from late 2022, when Ronaldo was dropped, publicly criticised Ten Hag, and eventually left the club by mutual consent.