sport news Who still supports Cristiano Ronaldo after his bombshell interview? trends now

Manchester United beat Fulham 2-1 on Sunday to sign off for the World Cup on a high. At least, the club thought that was the case.

Then the first snippets of Cristiano Ronaldo's bombshell interview with Piers Morgan came out on Sunday night.

The United forward did not hold back, revealing he has 'no respect' for manager Erik Ten Hag, did not even know who former boss Ralf Rangnick was, and labelled the Red Devils a 'marketing club'.

He also threw in digs at former team-mates Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville for good measure.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has been widely condemned for his behaviour, but there are still some people who are standing by him.

Sportsmail has taken a look at who remains on his side, and who has turned against the Portuguese star.

Graeme Souness

Souness has stuck up for Ronaldo for some time, hailing him as one of the best players in the history of the sport.

The 69-year-old Scotsman appeared on talkSPORT on Monday, and continued to defend Ronaldo by suggesting that the striker has been lied to by the club and had every right to tell his side of the story.

'I certainly do,' Souness said when asked whether he still defends Ronaldo.  

'I come back to it, there's a meeting, two people speak, two people leave the room with an understanding and someone has not kept their word.

'He has never spoken. He feels it is time for him to come out and tell his side of the story. This is a player who in many people's eyes is the greatest player to have ever kicked a ball.'

'I think he has been told a story and the manager has not kept it. Then you look at what has happened after this so-called agreement... he doesn't bring him on against City out of respect.

'A couple of weeks later against Tottenham he wants to bring him on with two minutes to go when the game is won, what can Ronaldo do there? And then he makes him captain.

'Looking at it from both sides, I've been a player, I've been a manager, I think the player has a grievance and he is entitled to air his grievance.'

Jose Morais

Morais spent three years with Ronaldo when he was an assistant coach at Real Madrid.

Some may judge Ronaldo's interview as ill-advised, but Morais has labelled the attacker as 'sensible and down-to-earth'. He also took an apparent swipe at Ten Hag for not getting the most out of a 'special player'.  

'Working with Cristiano was one of the best moments I have as a coach. He is a fantastic person and a stratospheric player,' Morais told A Bola.

'I don't say "UFO" because he is a human being. He would be more of a "Human of Unidentified Characteristics". Such is the enormity of his ability and talent.

'To have a player like him, is to be a blessed coach. Cristiano is, without a doubt, a sensible and down-to-earth person.'

Speaking about Ronaldo's current situation, Morais added: 'I'm just saying that you have to be a special coach to train special players.

'Being a special coach implies knowing how to deal with situations like the one that is happening. Positive communication.

'The establishment of trust depends on factors that relate to the individual's personal development. The best coach is better able to deal with these situations.'

Ruben Amorim

Ronaldo might be struggling for allies in Manchester right now, but he's still got some in his homeland.

He came through Sporting Lisbon's academy as a youngster and broke into the first-team before joining United for the first time in 2003.

Ronaldo was linked with a sensational return to Sporting in the summer, although the move failed to materialise. 

The club's current manager Ruben Amorim has revealed that Ronaldo remains a popular figure at the Portuguese club despite his off-field antics, and has backed Ronaldo to decide his own future.

'I've been asked this question a thousand times. Ronaldo is a Manchester United player,' Amorim said when asked whether the club could make another move to bring their former player back.  

'Everyone at Sporting likes him, there's not much to say. He himself says he wants to do things in peace to follow his future. He will decide his future.

'I won't be here telling you how things are for me. In the summer it became obvious that things don't all pass me by. There's the club, there's the structure. He's a Manchester United player.'

Danilo Pereira

Ronaldo's tell-all interview has come on the eve of his fifth World Cup. Given that United team-mates Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot are also in the Portugal squad, it seems that there is the potential for a split in the national team if they are offended by his words.

Holding midfielder Danilo Pereira has denied this will be the case, though, and has insisted that the team will be doing everything they can to help Ronaldo shine in Qatar, so that they can go all the way in the tournament.

'There will be criticism because Cristiano is a player who sells a lot, he is a player who is talked about every day,' Danilo said.

'If he's bad, people will talk. If he's okay, people will talk. So, we within the group see this naturally.

'It's normal for Cristiano, being the strongest point of the national team, to have more spotlight on him.

'We're going to throw more balls at him, we're going to try to get him to score goals and he will also demand that.

'It's natural that there is this conversation because people think we play for Cristiano, but that's not the case. We play to win games.'

Piers Morgan 

Morgan conducted the interview with Ronaldo, and has revealed that he was approached by his 'good friend' rather than the other way around.

Having heard what Ronaldo has to say, Morgan is still on his side, and has even claimed he wants his beloved Arsenal to sign Ronaldo in January to take Mikel Arteta's men to the Premier League title.

'He's exactly what we need. @Cristiano & @gabrieljesus9 would take us to the title,' Morgan tweeted on Sunday night after being asked whether he would take Ronaldo at the Emirates Stadium.

Morgan then went on to write in The Sun: 'I first interviewed Cristiano three years ago in Turin and we ended up having a four-hour dinner. Since then, we've become very unlikely but very good friends. We text and speak a lot,

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