From Man City bid to Messi: Ronaldo-Piers Morgan interview IN FULL

FT Desk

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:55 CDT
• 11 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo’s explosive interview with Piers Morgan will go down as one of the most famous – or infamous – interviews in football history.

The Manchester United legend shocked the world of football as he sat down with TalkTV host Morgan for a no-holds barred interview.

Clips of the interview were released in stages over the last few days until the first half of the interview was broadcast in full on Wednesday evening at 2000 GMT on TalkTV.

READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo's Piers Morgan interview - LIVE!

Here are the key things that were said during the first half of the interview.

On Man Utd ‘betrayal’ & Erik Ten Hag

“Yes [they are trying to force Ronaldo out], not only the coach but the other two or three guys there around the club.

“Yes [at senior executive level]. I felt betrayed. I felt that some people don't want me here, not only this year but last year too.

“I don’t have respect for him [Ten Hag] because he doesn’t show respect for me.

“If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never going to have respect for you. If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never going to have respect for you.”

On Ralf Rangnick

“If you’re not even a coach, how are you going to be the boss of Manchester United? I’d never even heard of him.”

On The Glazers

"Manchester are a marketing club - they get money from the marketing. It will be hard for Manchester to be top of the game in the next two or three years.

"The owners of the club, the Glazers, they don't care about the club, professional sport."

On Wayne Rooney

“I don’t know why he criticises me so badly.

“Probably because he finished his career in his thirties and I’m still playing at [a] high level. I’m not going to say that I’m looking better than him. Which is true.”

On Gary Neville

"It's hard to listen to that kind of criticism and negativity about people who play with you. For example, Gary Neville, as well. They are not my friends.

"It's easy to criticise. I don't know if you have a job in television that they must criticise to be more famous, I really don't understand.

"I think they take advantage of [my profile] because they are not stupid. It's hard when you see people who were in the dressing room with you criticising that way."

On Sir Alex Ferguson

“I followed my heart [returning in 2021]. He [Ferguson] said to me: ‘It’s impossible for you to come to Manchester City’, and I said, ‘OK, Boss’.

“Ferguson knows better than anybody that the club is not on the path they deserve to be. He knows. Everyone knows. The people who don’t see that… it’s because they don’t want to see; they are blind.”

On Man Utd not modernising

“The progress was zero. Since Sir Alex left, I saw no evolution in the club. Nothing had changed. I think the fans should know the truth. I want the best for the club. This is why I came to Manchester United.

“But you have some things inside that don’t help [us] reach the top level as City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal… a club with this dimension should be top of the tree in my opinion and they are not, unfortunately. As Picasso said, you have to destroy it to rebuild it and if they start with me, for me, it’s not a problem. I love Manchester United, I love the fans, they’re always on my side. But if they want to do it different… they have to change many, many things."

On why Ronaldo did this interview

“Because I think it is the time to say something. And because I like you"

On Man Utd fans

“I will always say good things about them. They are always on my side. When I see them in the street, they are always good to me. They are the most important thing in football."

How close was Man City move?

“It was close. Guardiola tried hard to sign me. But my history with Man Utd before made the difference. And so did Sir Alex Ferguson. It was a conscious decision and the heart decided.

“I don’t regret the decision I made. Sir Alex Ferguson was the key. I spoke with him. He said to me that it’s impossible for you to go to Man City."

On beating Messi shirt sale record upon joining Man Utd

“Of course I was happy. I don’t follow the records, the records follow me.”

On Solskjaer sacking

“When I signed for Man Utd, I thought that things would have changed. It had been 13 years. Technology, infrastructure. I was surprised in a bad way. Everything was the same.

“Solskjaer was sacked, Carrick was in charge for two games. But the clock had stopped since my first spell.

“It was tough for me, I didn’t expect this.”

On United not being able to buy top players anymore

“I was surprised. Ferguson left a big gap, and also losing David Gill, a very good man.

“I knew United wouldn’t be the same but I didn’t think it would be this bad.

“The pool, the gym, the jacuzzi, the kitchen, the chefs, they were stuck in time.

“I saw the same things I saw when I was 22, 23.”

On replacing Solksjaer with Rangnick

“After sacking Solskjaer, they bring a sporting director in Ralf Rangnick to be coach.

"He is not even a coach. This surprised not only me but the whole world.

“It was a ridiculous decision. Man Utd are a step behind Man City and Liverpool because of decisions like this.

“I had never heard of Rangnick. And people who I spoke to hadn’t heard of him either. I called him boss but deep inside me I didn’t see him as a boss."

On Rangnick briefing journalists that Ronaldo doesn’t press

“These new coaches who come along, they think they have discovered the last coca cola in the desert.

“I have always been around the best coaches in the world. And when I see new coaches who want to revolutionise football, I don’t agree with them.

“Rangnick didn’t know what he was doing. The dimension of the club and the history of the club. If you sack Solskjaer, you have to bring a top coach and not a sporting director.”

On young generation

“I like to lead by example. Some follow me, others not so much.

“The youngsters today don’t have the hunger like us in the past. The young generation have things too easy.

“This new generation won’t have long careers with this attitude.”

On losing his twin child at birth

“It was the worst moment in my life since my father died. When you have a kid you expect everything to be normal.

“It was very tough for Georgina.

"In the beginning. Gio was arriving home and the kids start to say where's the other baby? Where's the other baby?

"Of course Cristiano [his eldest son], I had a conversation with him in the day, because he's 12 years old, he knows, understands everything, and I had a nice conversation with him.

"We cried together in his bedroom and explained and it's kind of - he doesn't understand, he does understand, but in same way he was a little bit confused.

“The other ones [children] in the beginning, on the table, the kids start to say, 'Mom where is the other baby bla bla bla' - and you in the beginning they start to say because, you know, she had a little bit of a belly because they had two, it's a hard process.

"And after one week I say, 'Let's be up front and let's be honest with the kids, let's say that, Angel, which is the name, they go to the Heaven'.

"It's better to say in that way and we start to use that in that way. And the kids always understand, when we had shouts in at the table and they say ‘daddy I did this for Angel’ and they point out for the, for the sky…

"I like it the most because, you know it's part of their lives and I am not gonna lie to my kids to say the true, which is it was a difficult process but in the same way, I become more more father, more friendly with them; they become more close to their Daddy especially me with the Georgina as well."

On keeping baby’s ashes

"His ashes is with me, like my Daddy, they are here in the house…Yes is something that I want to hold for the rest of my life and not throw to the ocean or to the sea.

"I keep with me. They are next to my dad… I have a small church … Yes, chapel. And I keep my daddy and my son [there].

"I talk with them every time and they are by my side. You know they helped me to be a better man, to be a better person, to be a better father. I am really proud of the message they send me, especially my son."

On support from rival fans after losing baby

“I never, ever expect that. Never. I have the opportunity now to say, all English community, thank you a lot for that, [it] kind of helped with me…

“I received a letter from The Queen’s family as well … And, surprised me a lot… This is why I say, I respect a lot, the English community, English people, because they've been very kind with me.

"And in that difficult moment of my life… [the support] was spectacular. The way they treat me, me and my family in that difficult moment, I should say straight to the camera thank you, ‘Thank you, to the all English community that helped me in that moment’."

On Ten Hag appointment

“I knew a little bit about him from his job at Ajax.”

On the criticism he receives in the media

"It's easy to point out when you want to cover other things to point at Cristiano Ronaldo. The press want to put me on the front page.

“I'm used to living like that because, you know, I was 37, I know and I learned many things. When you are at the bottom of the wave and when you are at the top of the wave, you don't realise and you don't see things that you don't see before… Which is, I appreciate to have bad moments, to see which people are on your side, who will criticise you more. Because they're looking for that. They don't like to see successful people.

“The people only try to bring negativity. And I felt the last four or five months that, not only for me, but even for my family as well, for Georgina, especially around the world, the press criticise me even more... sometimes I don't understand why. Even the Portguese press critismce me a lot and I don't understand.

“But I still believe that jealousy is part of that. They want to cover many things that helps to shine other things. But listen, Piers, I know I'm 21 years at the top of the game, so I know all the takes, so for me it's not a problem. It's hard when you are a little bit down to listen to this criticism.

"I don't like to read, they all lie, the press are garbage, not all of them but a lot of them. They lie, they constantly all me and my family. Why am I going to read when they are trying to make me and my family feel bad.

“I care for the people who like me. I'm not wasting time, for the people who don't like me. I think it's a waste of time, these people are not interesting in my life.”

On why he is the most followed on social media

"Not only because I play good football, I think the rest is relevant you have to be charismatic. I think being good-looking helps too. I don't know the real reason but I'm competitive, a fruit people want to bite."

More on Rooney and Neville criticism

“I care about the people who like me. I don't waste time on the people who don't like me, they are not interested in my life. I like to be surrounded by the people who love me, I don't waste time on people who criticise me.

"I don't understand, you should ask him. It was only one year ago, six months ago he had his kids here and he invited Cristiano to play football. “I really don't understand people like that. Or if they want to be in a cover of the paper of the news, or they want new jobs or whatever.

"Probably because he finished his career in his thirties and I'm still playing at a high level, I'm not going to say I'm looking better but it's true."

"People can have their own opinions but they don't really know what's going on in the training ground or in my life, they shouldn't just listen to one point of view but mine as well.

“They are not my friends, they are colleagues, we play together, we're never going for dinner for example. As part of my journey they criticise me but I continue my trip.“