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Wayne Rooney says Ronaldo “got what he wanted” when he left Manchester United.
Wayne Rooney admits Cristiano Ronaldo “got what he wanted” when he forced a departure from Manchester United, but the Portuguese forward is still regarded as a club legend.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner cut connections with the Red Devils in November 2022 after launching a torrent of slurs at several significant figures from the team’s past and present.
Rooney acknowledges that the 38-year-old, who is currently in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, understood what he was doing there. The all-time hero had no option but to leave United and pursue other opportunities, so he tore up his contract and left.
Rooney, who is United’s all-time leading goalscorer, has told CNN of seeing Ronaldo manufacture a move away from Old Trafford: “I suppose he got what he wanted. For Manchester United, it was important to move on as quick as possible from that and really refocus on the group of players who were there and wanted to be there.
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And I think that’s where [Erik] ten Hag has done a really good job in refocusing the players and getting them in a position where they are, obviously, comfortably in the top four, and also winning the [Carabao] Cup.”
There have been claims that Ronaldo’s antics during a second stint in England have damaged his reputation in the eyes of Manchester United supporters, but Rooney is certain that his old teammate is still respected there.
He added: “No, I think what he’s done for Manchester United is great. And he’s won Premier League titles, won the Champions League, scored many goals. So I think certainly for the fans and certainly for the players, his former team-mates who played with him from my time especially, we’ll never forget what he did for Manchester United. Because in my eyes, he’ll always be a club legend and it’s a shame the way it ended of course this time round. But I don’t think that takes anything away from his legacy at the club.”
Ronaldo scored 118 goals for United during his first season there, helping the team win three Premier League titles and the Champions League. When he returned to Old Trafford from Juventus in 2021, he scored on 27 occasions while making 54 appearances.