Ian Holloway labels Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo “bigger than Manchester United”
English football manager Ian Halloway has stated that Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is “bigger than Manchester United”. The former Queens Park Rangers midfielder feels the Red Devils should have let the 37-year-old leave earlier.
In the end, the Old Trafford side and five-time Ballon d’Or winner came to a mutual agreement and his contract was terminated. The club took the step after the forward’s interview with British Broadcaster Piers Morgan, where he slated the Glazers and Erik ten Hag.
Speaking to William Hill and Footy Accumulators’ No Tippy Tappy Football on YouTube (h/t Mirror), Halloway was delighted with Ronaldo’s interview. He criticised United for holding on to the Portuguese.
“I gave Ronaldo a round of applause after seeing the interview. He is bigger than Manchester United and they should have let him go. He has earned the right to do whatever he wants and unfortunately it has ended up a bit sour.”
The 37-year-old had returned to Manchester last year after having left the Red Devils in 2009 for Real Madrid. And the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s homecoming was received with a lot of warmth from the fanbase.
Ronaldo did not disappoint in the previous campaign. The Portuguese ended the 2021/22 season with 24 goals in all competitions for the Old Trafford side, the highest in the squad.
However, under Erik ten Hag, things turned a bit sour for the 37-year-old. The former Juventus superstar lost his place in the starting lineup and found himself on the bench in a majority of the fixtures.
Even when Ronaldo got on the pitch for United, he was unable to have a considerable impact. In 10 Premier League appearances in the current campaign, the Portuguese found the back of the net just one time.
As a result, the likes of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial were able to go ahead of the 37-year-old in the pecking order. And their performances this season have merited their inclusion in the Dutch manager’s team.
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United have seemingly shown no player is bigger than the club after parting ways with Ronaldo. While the Portuguese was a brilliant player for us in his many successful years, it was time for his chapter in Manchester to end.
