Enough is enough! 'Release Ronaldo on a free transfer'

Carlo Garganese

• 20 Oct 2022 13:00 BST
• 4 min read

Following the latest Cristiano Ronaldo controversy that erupted on Wednesday evening, it is now clear that Manchester United must release the Portuguese superstar on a free transfer.

Ronaldo hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons during Man Utd’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

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Cristiano had been dropped to the bench for the game, with Marcus Rashford preferred as the lone striker.

Ronaldo was asked to warm up by Erik ten Hag but ultimately played no part, with Anthony Elanga and Christian Eriksen preferred by the boss in a late double switch to see out the final minutes.

And in the dying minutes television footage showed the 37-year-old walking off alone down the tunnel instead of waiting out full time with the rest of his colleagues.

This unsurprisingly caused a storm.

What did Ten Hag say?

“He was there, I have seen him but I didn't speak. I will deal with that tomorrow not today,” Ten Hag said at full time.

But this is the umpteenth occasion that Ronaldo has thrown a tantrum about his status and transfer situation at Man Utd.

He has cut a frustrated figure for much of the current campaign, having lost his first-team place. He has only started two Premier League games in 2022-23 and was visibly furious when he was substituted in the second half by Ten Hag against Newcastle at the weekend.

Of course, Ronaldo dominated all the headlines in the summer too.

The problems started before pre-season when Ronaldo put in a transfer request to leave the club.

He wanted to join a club that was in the Champions League and could challenge for major trophies.

His agent Jorge Mendes offered him out to numerous clubs around Europe, without finding a taker.

Ronaldo chose not to go on tour with Man Utd during the summer, citing family reasons.

He did not begin training again until the last week of pre-season, playing just one friendly match against Rayo Vallecano.

He caused controversy during that game by leaving Old Trafford before the match had finished.

His attitude and body language were also called into question during the first two Premier League matches of the season, a 2-1 home defeat to Brighton and 4-0 loss at Brentford.

At full-time against Brentford he was filmed storming off down the tunnel and not acknowledging manager Ten Hag at full-time.

Ronaldo has been creating a toxic atmosphere within the club all season and things can’t continue as they are.

What did Ferdinand say?

"If he doesn't see Cristiano Ronaldo as a starter in his team more often than not, he has to release him from the contract, let him go," Rio Ferdinand told his Vibe with FIVE podcast.

"It's not fair on anybody, on Cristiano, on Erik ten Hag, or the players, if after every game the first question is 'Why didn't Cristiano start?' and that's the story. It's going to be something which probably hampers him, [Ten Hag] going forward."

The best solution for all parties is that Ronaldo is just released from his contract.

Finding a club to pay a transfer fee plus his astronomical wages will be as difficult in January as it was this past summer. So the best thing to do is just to rescind his contract and pay off his wages until June, when his contract ends.

Ronaldo turns 38 in February and deserves to be playing regularly in this final stage of his career.

From United’s end, it is clear that Ronaldo can only damage and divide the the squad due to his selfish attitude. He is also offering very little when he does play, scoring only two goals in all competitions this season – one of them a penalty in the Europa League. He doesn’t suit Ten Hag’s system.

It’s time to end this soap opera. Enough is enough.