London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 04, 2025

Ronaldo to leave Man Utd with immediate effect

Ronaldo to leave Man Utd with immediate effect

Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United with immediate effect.

The decision follows a controversial interview in which the 37-year-old criticised the club and said he had "no respect" for manager Erik ten Hag.

Both parties stated that Ronaldo's exit was "mutually agreed".

"The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford," said a Manchester United statement.

They wished "him and his family well for the future" and added "everyone at Manchester United remains focused on continuing the team's progress under Erik ten Hag and working together to deliver success on the pitch".

United are fifth in the Premier League in Ten Hag's first season as manager, with the season taking a break for the World Cup in Qatar.

Ronaldo is with Portugal at the tournament and is set to captain them in their opening Group H game against Ghana on Thursday.

He talked to the media in Qatar on Monday, saying that he will "speak when he wants" and his row with United will not "shake" the Portugal squad.

Ronaldo, who scored 145 goals in 346 appearances for United, left Juventus to rejoin the Old Trafford club in August 2021 - 11 years after he left to join Real Madrid.


Cristiano Ronaldo's last appearance for Manchester United was in their 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa on 6 November

He had just over seven months remaining on his £500,000-a-week contract with United and his departure leaves him free to sign for another club, including one in the Premier League, when the transfer window opens in January.

"Following conversations with Manchester United we have mutually agreed to end our contract early," said a statement from Ronaldo.

"I love Manchester United and I love the fans, that will never ever change. However, it feels like the right time for me to seek a new challenge.

"I wish the team every success for the remainder of the season and for the future."


Both parties are happy and we can move on - Ferdinand


Ronaldo had not played for United because of an unspecified illness since he captained them in their 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa on 6 November.

He was dropped for the Premier League game at Chelsea last month by Ten Hag after refusing to come on as a substitute against Tottenham three days earlier.

In his TalkTV interview last week, Ronaldo said he did not regret refusing to come on as a substitute for the final few minutes in a win against Spurs as he felt Ten Hag had "provoked" him.

He also spoke about how, in general, he felt "betrayed by the club" and, along with his view of Ten Hag, added that he thought he was being forced out of the club.

He also said he had seen "no evolution" at the club since former manager Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

Ronaldo mentioned that he was close to joining Manchester City prior to his return to United, while he had turned down a £305m deal to move to a Saudi Arabian club in the summer.

He talked about the loss of his baby son in April and how touched he was by a tribute paid to him by Liverpool fans at a game against United at Anfield in the days afterwards.

United responded last Friday with a statement to say they had "initiated appropriate steps" in response to the interview.

"Cristiano obviously did that interview with the mindset that he wasn't happy and wanted to get out of the club. He made that very clear," former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand told BBC Sport.

"I think Erik ten Hag got what he wanted in this situation as well. Both parties are happy and we can move on.

"The next chapter for Cristiano? It depends what his motivation is. Play in the Champions League? Money? To continue playing somewhere with a nice climate?

"We'll find out in due course I'm sure."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
×