- Says former teammate wants out
- Ronaldo has 'no way back'
- The forward's comments are indefensible
WHAT HAPPENED? Ferdinand, Ronaldo's ex-team-mate, has responded to the sensational interview the 37-year-old forward conducted with broadcaster Morgan, where he lambasted the lack of progression in the last nine years at United. Ferdinand said his former colleague has "snookered" the club in his attempts to leave Old Trafford, stating that "there's no way back" for Ronaldo at the Theatre of Dreams.
WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking on Vibe with Five, Ferdinand said: "I’m quite clear with this situation. It’s over. That love affair with Manchester United is finished. The book has been closed, he’s snookered the club and put them into a position where there’s no way back. Whether anyone at the club wanted to keep Ronaldo, they can’t now after what he’s said.
"You can't sit here and defend that from Cristiano Ronaldo because, deep down, and I know for a fact, this has all been manufactured for one thing and that's for him to leave the club. I don't feel like the club will take him back and I don't think that he wants to come back, that's a given, and I think this is all manufactured for that reason, that he wants to get out of this place."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Ferdinand played with Ronaldo all the way through the Portuguese's first stint at the club, with the centre-back arriving under Sir Alex Ferguson a year before the attacker in 2002. That means the two shared a dressing room for six seasons - a stint in which United won three Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups and a Champions League in 2008. Ferdinand's fellow pundit Jamie Carragher has called for United to sack Ronaldo.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
Getty Images
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO? It's been clear since last summer that Ronaldo wants out of Old Trafford. With this interview and many former players and pundits coming out against him, he seems destined to move on - whether that be in January or beyond. The only stumbling blocks are Ronaldo's extortionate wages and whether any of Europe's top clubs will want him after his recent histrionics.