Erik ten Hag said Cristiano Ronaldo’s decline started at Juventus and continued at Manchester United
The former Manchester United manager questioned Ronaldo’s hunger and daily commitment to elite football
Ten Hag said Ronaldo could still score but lacked the fitness required for the Premier League
Erik ten Hag has reopened his row with Cristiano Ronaldo, saying the forward’s decline began at Juventus and that he no longer had the physical drive needed to succeed at Manchester United. In an interview with ESPN. The former United manager argued that Ronaldo could not keep producing at the highest level.
Ten Hag also questioned Ronaldo’s willingness to meet the daily demands of elite football. He said the Portugal captain could still finish chances but had lost the appetite to push himself hard enough for the Premier League.
The remarks have pushed the United fallout back into focus. Ten Hag has now returned twice in recent weeks to the breakdown in his relationship with Ronaldo, which ended with the striker’s exit from Old Trafford in November 2022.
Ronaldo's Decline Claim
Ten Hag drew a hard line. “Every top team must embrace the top player, but the top player must also make way for the team. That was simply the problem with Ronaldo,” Ten Hag said in the ESPN interview.
He paired that criticism with praise for Ronaldo’s place in football history. “He belongs among the greats of the world. But the reality is also that he hasn't been able to deliver for the last seven or eight years. From Juventus onwards, it was simply over,” he added.
Ten Hag also held up Real Madrid as a contrast. He said the Spanish club recognised when a player was nearing the end of his peak and moved on at the right time, suggesting Madrid handled Ronaldo’s departure better than United did.
Fitness And Commitment
Fitness sat at the centre of his argument. Ten Hag said Ronaldo still had the ability to score but was no longer ready to submit to the physical work needed to compete in England.
“He couldn't bring himself to torture himself anymore. To give it his all every day. To get fit. If you aren't fit in the Premier League, you stand no chance,” he said.
Ten Hag said he spoke directly to Ronaldo about what he expected and the role he wanted him to play at United. He said the conversation became clear once he set out his reasoning, and added that leaving Ronaldo out of the side was a decision taken for the team and the club.
“He won the Champions League five times and scored so many goals. He gave so much to football. We all enjoyed him, me included. But at that moment, I had to make choices in the interest of the team and the club,” he said.
For Ten Hag, the principle was simple. “No one is bigger than a club or a country. Not even Cristiano Ronaldo. Not even Messi. Ultimately, the team always comes first,” he said.
Earlier Fallout Recalled
This was not Ten Hag’s first public swipe in recent weeks. In an interview with The Athletic published on October 20, he accused Ronaldo of letting both him and Manchester United down during their time together.
“He let the team down, and he let me down, because we planned with him,” Ten Hag had said. He also alleged that Ronaldo did not train at the required intensity and said he challenged him over his preparation and commitment.
Ten Hag said he had travelled to Portugal before taking charge at Old Trafford to explain his plans to Ronaldo. But the relationship worsened during the 2022-23 season, when Ronaldo was dropped after refusing to come on as a substitute against Tottenham.
The split soon turned public. Ronaldo then attacked Ten Hag and United in an interview with Piers Morgan, and Manchester United ended his contract by mutual agreement in November 2022.
Ten Hag is now the technical director at FC Twente. His decision to revisit the episode twice in recent weeks shows that the fight over Ronaldo’s role, work rate and place in the side remains one of the defining disputes of his United spell.
