Aheed Abrar
Rio Ferdinand reveals Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo coy about next destination after abrupt Manchester United exit
Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand has revealed that Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo is coy about his next destination after his exit from the Red Devils.
The 37-year-old abruptly departed the Old Trafford side in the aftermath of his controversial interview with Piers Morgan ahead of the World Cup. In the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s conversation with the British broadcaster, the forward took aim at the club and the manager.
Speaking in the BBC Sport studio (h/t Manchester Evening News), Ferdinand, who played alongside Ronaldo for several years, disclosed that he has not been able to get the 37-year-old to talk about his next club.
“I’ve tried to weasel it out of him [where Ronaldo will go next], but he won’t tell me. He’s said he’s only thinking about the World Cup and he will think about the transfer after that.”
The Portuguese icon is currently in Qatar with his national side. Os Navegadores have qualified for the round of 16 after finishing top of Group H. However, Fernando Santos’ team lost to South Korea on Friday (2 November) in the final group stage match.
Ronaldo made history as the first man to score in five consecutive World Cups. Having scored for Portugal in 2006 in Germany, he found the back of the net for Os Navegadores against Ghana in 2022.
This year, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner also hit his landmark 700th club career goal. Against Everton in the Premier League this season, he managed to beat Jordan Pickford in United’s 2-1 win at Goodison Park.
Unfortunately, overall it had been a disappointing campaign for Ronaldo in Manchester under Erik ten Hag. The Dutch manager did not prefer the Portuguese icon in his starting lineup.
The 37-year-old did not do himself any favours either. While the forward was our top goalscorer in the previous campaign, he has been underwhelming this term.
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Thus, while avoidable, it was the right time for Ronaldo and United to part ways. However, it will now be interesting to see whether the 37-year-old ends up come January.
