Former Man United coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has spoken out on the ‘sad’ and ‘sour’ end to Cristiano Ronaldo’s second spell at United.
The Red Devils secured a comeback for the Portuguese forward, who had initially left for Real Madrid in an £80million deal in 2009, before joining Juventus in 2018 in a £99.2m deal.
Ronaldo, who joined regular games under Solskjaer turned into an outcast under his successor Erik ten Hag, who repeatedly left him out of his starting XIs before the legendary five-time Ballon d’Or winner came under fire for storming out of Old Trafford early before the end of games.
The Portuguese star later had a tell-all interview with Piers Morgan in November 2022, where he claimed he felt ‘betrayed’ by the club – while saying he ‘doesn’t respect’ Ten Hag.
Despite the toxic ending to Ronaldo’s spell, Solskjaer believes the club made the ‘right decision’ to bring him back from Juventus in 2021.
‘Cristiano wanted to leave Juventus but we didn’t think it was possible to bring him back. We had built a squad without Cristiano,’ Solskjaer told the Times of India. ‘And then when this opportunity came, I think everyone in the world thought it was going to be fantastic. And he had a good season. I think he scored 28 goals.
‘His first outing on return was against Newcastle. I think there have not been many days at Old Trafford that have seen a better vibe. And it was an unbelievable thing. So, it’s about giving people memories. That’s a memory for everyone who was there, and that he came back after having been the best player in the world for so many years.’
Solskjaer, who was sacked by United in November 2021, hailed the player’s attitude and said it was frustrating to see how things fell apart after he had left the club.
‘I love Cristiano’s professional attitude. But it didn’t work out for him,’ he added. ‘It didn’t work out for me. It didn’t work out for the team, unfortunately. But at that moment, it was the right decision to welcome him back to Old Trafford. That’s life. We made a decision.’
‘So, unfortunately, after I left, it turned sour with Cristiano. It was sad to see from the outside.’