
"Cristiano Ronaldo Was...": Ex-Manchester United Manager Erik Ten Hag On 'Past' Struggles
Ten Hag went on to win an FA Cup and Carabao Cup with the Red Devils before he was sacked midway through the 2024/25 season. After spending the second half recharging his batteries, Ten Hag landed at Bayer Leverkusen. His comments follow after his side lost 0-2 against Chelsea in a pre-season friendly.
Two years after leaving United, Ronaldo fired shots at Ten Hag's mindset and approach and said a Manchester United coach should not have a mentality that the team can't fight for the league and UCL titles.
"They need to rebuild everything, in my opinion. The coach says they cannot compete to win the League and Champions League. Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you're not going to fight to win the League or Champions League. You have to be, to mentally say, listen, maybe we don't have that potential, but I cannot say that. We're going to try. You have to try," Ronaldo told former teammate Rio Ferdinand in a podcast.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, is gearing up for the new season with a bang. He scored a hat-trick against Liga Portugal side Rio Ave F.C. and will now face Al-Ittihad Club on Tuesday in the semifinal of the Saudi Super Cup.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The Hindu
33 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Ronaldo vs Kaka — Two Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Cup winners face off at Esports World Cup 2025
Football fever gripped Esports World Cup 2025 as two Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Cup winners, Kaka and Ronaldo Nazario, played EA Sports FC in an exhibition match in Riyadh on Sunday. The best-of-three contest started with a classic match, which Kaka won 3-2, before stamping his authority in the Mystery Ball mode, winning it 11-6. Ronaldo tried to make a comeback in the final match, in survival mode, but his former Brazil teammate continued to be the better player, winning the game 3-2. 'I had a blast at the Esports World Cup Showmatch in Saudi Arabia! It was an incredible experience, and I'm so happy I got to share it with Ronaldo. All those hours of training with Luca (Kaka's son) definitely paid off,' Kaka wrote on social media. WATCH THE MATCH BELOW: Ronaldo took the result in good spirit, even saying that he will try to settle scores in another title the next time: Call of Duty. 'Next time, next year, we play Warzone,' he said with a smile. Ronaldo and Kaka were part of Brazil's 2002 World Cup-winning squad and also played under Carlo Ancelotti at AC Milan. While Kaka spent most of his club career at Milan, Ronaldo played for both rivals in Italy, Internazionale and AC Milan, also featuring for Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven and Corinthians. Ronaldo is one of the 10 players to win the Ballon d'Or more than once — 1997, 2002 — while Kaka is the last Brazilian to lift the golden ball, in 2007.


Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Harry Maguire: ‘Everyone dislikes Manchester United' and says ‘physicality of our squad wasn't good enough' last season
Manchester United's 32-year old centre-back player Harry Maguire has urged his team-mates to be mentally prepared to be 'hated' and that they have to 'thrive off the pressure'. He urged this club teammates to start the new season with the motivation to feed off pressure. 'Mental strength definitely has a big part to play. You've got to thrive off the pressure and you've got to play like you're playing in a playground — and that's what we've struggled to find over the last ten years. There has been a transition period, obviously. When Alex Ferguson was here, we had the best team by far and won all the trophies. But in the transition period at the moment, the reality is that we're not the best team.' He said that he has noted that many players are unable to handle the pressure of playing for the club and don't last long. 'I see a lot of players at Manchester United break through in one or two years. And then, after the second year, you start getting questioned and the form dips a little bit. It happens so much. It's really important to have good support around you, good family around you. But obviously, some players come from different countries and don't have that. So the main thing I always say is that you can only do what you can do. And on the football pitch, you get judged.' Maguire cited the example of Bruno Fernandes as the model player on how to handle pressure and perform. 'It's how people and how the lads can adapt to that level of scrutiny and to keep going through that scrutiny. Bruno Fernandes is a perfect example. He doesn't care what anyone thinks and he believes in his ability — and shows it on the pitch.' The undue scrutiny and pressure is an inevitable part of playing for Manchester United, he says. 'And when you play for this club, everything gets analysed. Every goal that goes in the back of the net is someone's fault. You do become used to it. But for a young boy coming into it, when you're a young boy, you have no fear. And then, once you make a couple of mistakes, after a couple of seasons, people then start expecting things from you. And then that is when the real test comes.' Maguire believes that the Manchester United players weren't fit enough last season. 'And it's really good that we've had a full pre- season to work under this manager [Ruben Amorim]. He spoke about it a lot last season that we just didn't have a chance to train. 'When he first took over, I think the physicality of our squad wasn't good enough for the Premier League. We couldn't run hard enough. We didn't win enough duels. He's realised that now we have got a full pre-season and I think the lads are looking leaner and sharper. We now have good competition for places and I'm sure they'll bring in a couple more. But it's looking a lot brighter.'


Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Cristiano Ronaldo Net Worth: Check the ‘highest-paid' athlete's brand endorsements, business ventures and more
Cristiano Ronaldo's star power extends beyond sports. In 2025, Forbes named him The World's Highest-Paid Athlete, just like the previous year. In 2020, he ranked number 4 on Forbes' Celebrity 100. Earlier in his career, in 2015, he made the 30 Under 30 – Sports list. According to Forbes, Cristiano Ronaldo's net worth stands at $275 million (more than ₹ 2,400 crore). For a long time, Cristiano Ronaldo was represented by 'super-agent' Jorge Mendes, who heads the agency Gestifute. His clients have also included David de Gea, Jose Mourinho and James Rodriguez. Mendes played a key role in managing Ronaldo's transfers and contracts for many years. However, Ronaldo and Mendes ended their professional agent-player relationship in late 2022. Ronaldo's transfer to Saudi club Al-Nassr was negotiated largely through Ricky Regufe, Ronaldo's personal manager and friend. A five-time Ballon d'Or winner, Ronaldo became the first active team-sport athlete to earn over $1 billion in 2020. In February 2021, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first person to reach 500 million followers across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (now X). By May 2025, this number grew to 939 million. In March 2021, he overtook Pele's goal tally with a hat-trick for Juventus against Cagliari, reaching 770 goals. By September 2024, he became the first man to score 900 official goals. In August 2021, Ronaldo returned to Manchester United, where he played from 2003 to 2009. Then, he joined Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr in December 2022. Cristiano Ronaldo's brand endorsements make up a large part of his wealth and fame. His most important deal is with Nike, his sponsor since 2003. He has a lifetime contract worth about $1 billion. Since 2013, he has worked with Herbalife. He started endorsing Clear Shampoo and Tag Heuer watches in 2014. In 2018, he started promoting American Tourister luggage. Ronaldo is a global ambassador for DAZN sports streaming, Binance cryptocurrency, and luxury brands like Jacob & Co and Louis Vuitton. His partnerships also include ZujuGP, UFL, MTG and WHOOP. In 2025, he became the Global Brand Ambassador for the Esports World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo's first big business success was his CR7 fashion line. It started with pants in 2013 and footwear in 2015. He later launched CR7 Eyewear and the Cristiano Ronaldo Legacy perfume with Eden Parfums. In 2016, CR7 entered the hotel industry with Pestana CR7 Lifestyle Hotels in Funchal, Madeira and Lisbon. He later expanded to Madrid and Marrakech. In 2017, Ronaldo started CR7 Fitness by Crunch gyms in Portugal and Spain to promote health and fitness. Cristiano Ronaldo has built an impressive property portfolio across many countries. He started investing in real estate at a young age. In 2015, he bought a $18.5 million penthouse in New York's Trump Tower with views of Central Park, according to Zonal Sports. However, in 2019, he listed it for $7 million after its value dropped by nearly half, the publication added. Cristiano Ronaldo owns several luxurious homes worldwide. He bought a $1.6 million ( ₹ 14 crore) holiday villa in Marbella, Spain, with a private cinema and infinity pool. His $6 million ( ₹ 52.5 crore) Madrid house in La Finca offers top privacy and has his initials at the entrance. In Portugal, he invested $10.7 million ( ₹ 93 crore) in a Quinta da Marinha estate, expected to be worth €28 million ( ₹ 285 crore) after completion. In Madeira, his birthplace, he turned a warehouse into a seven-storey palace overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, valued at over €9.7 million ( ₹ 99 crore).