sport news CHRIS WHEELER: Cristiano Ronaldo and Man United's love affair has ended in a ... trends now
From the moment Cristiano Ronaldo shook hands with Piers Morgan at the end of their blistering TV interview, both men knew his time at Manchester United was up.
Ronaldo had tried the hissy fits and histrionics. He had staged a disappearing act after refusing to come on as a substitute against Tottenham last month.
When all that failed and manager Erik ten Hag took him back after three days on the naughty step, Ronaldo decided he had to go nuclear.
Cristiano Ronaldo's time at Man United was up as soon as his chat with Piers Morgan ended
United confirmed Ronaldo has left the club by mutual consent with immediate effect
His comments about the club, the Glazers, Ten Hag and his own team-mates broke just about every rule in the book and left United with no choice but to act.
No man is bigger than the club, as David Beckham, Roy Keane and Ruud van Nistelrooy will testify. United spent four days consulting their lawyers before issuing a statement on Tuesday night confirming that Ronaldo is history.
So the love affair between United and their iconic No 7 has ended in a rather messy divorce. It is what the player and his agent Jorge Mendes have been pushing for since the summer. There will be few tears shed at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo has lost out on £16million but he is a free agent this morning and it would be amazing if Mendes didn’t have something lined up.
Ronaldo's interview with Morgan gave United no choice but to part company with him
He has broken almost every rule in the book this season, including storming out of Old Trafford
Given that his client turned down an offer north of £300m in the summer to play in Saudi Arabia, that kind of money can be quickly recouped — even if it will now be hard to find a club willing to match the £500,000 a week he was earning at United. As long as Ronaldo is prepared to take a pay-cut, there will be plenty of teams happy to take him for the rest of the season.
Mendes and Ronaldo met with Bayern Munich earlier this
