Why Cristiano Ronaldo snubbed Jamie Carragher live on Sky Sports
FT Desk
- 24 Aug 2022 07:54 BST
- 3 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo was benched for Manchester United's 2-1 win over Liverpool on Monday night, but he still made his point pre-game, snubbing Jamie Carragher live on camera.
Carragher has been a regular critic of Ronaldo of late, citing the Portuguese as one of the problems Erik ten Hag needs to sort if the Red Devils are to get back among the Champions League placed if not challenge for the title outright.
It would seem Ten Hag agrees. Marcus Rashford started in attack against Liverpool with Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga in support. Rashford and Sancho scored, Elanga hit the post, and Ronaldo only got on for a late five-minute cameo.
"I may know one thing or another, I won't be the one who will say it"
Cristiano Ronaldo might be ready to talk, according to Bruno Fernandes 👀https://t.co/A2nwGBkZOs— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) August 23, 2022
But ahead of the game, Ronaldo went across to the touchline where his former United teammates Gary Neville and Roy Keane were presenting. He embraced Neville and Keane, but Carragher, who was standing in between them, was barely acknowledged.
"Knowing Cristiano Ronaldo, Jamie Carragher's been very vocal about Ronaldo being the problem and stuff like that," explained another former United teammate Rio Ferdinand on Vibe with Five.
Ferdinand: 'trust me'
"Trust me, Cristiano would've seen those comments and would've been thinking walking over there I'll just let this guy know with a little… he needs to kind of calm him down, humiliate him and show him up, whatever way you want to dress it up live on TV.
"Cristiano is very calculated, he's very aware of what's going on, he's not somebody who sits at home and switches off.
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"I've always said this, he uses social media and people's comments as fuel to drive him on to be the best he's done that since he was a young kid."
Ronaldo has scored 142 goals in 333 games across two spells with Man Utd, winning nine major honours on the way.
But the last of those came in 2009 before his €94 million move to Real Madrid, and he may have played his last game for the club, with Atletico Madrid looking like his most likely destination in pursuit of Champions League football this season.
