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For the second time in just a few weeks, former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has launched a fierce critique of Cristiano Ronaldo, flatly dismissing the widely-held belief in the forward's legendary dedication to hard work.
Just last month, Ten Hag took aim at Ronaldo during an extensive interview with The Athletic while reflecting on their time together at Manchester United. The Dutch manager accused the five-time Ballon d'Or recipient of "letting the team down" by neglecting his physical conditioning and reportedly telling his teammates to "save their legs" during training.
Not satisfied with that damning portrayal, Ten Hag appeared on ESPN's Goedemorgen Eredivisie show to assert that Ronaldo "hasn't been able to deliver" long before his return to Manchester United in 2021.
Ronaldo Could 'No Longer Suffer'
Ronaldo's reputation as one of the finest players of his era—or any era—has been built on his relentless pursuit of self-improvement. As a teenager, he would sneak into Sporting CP's gym late at night for extra training sessions, laying the groundwork for a career that would take him to Manchester United for the first time in 2003.
It was at Old Trafford that Ronaldo's work ethic was pushed to even greater heights. "Everything was a lesson for me," he later told The Times. "[Being at United] taught me to train hard all the time ... to eat properly, sleep well, recovery sessions, everything. You have to dedicate yourself 100%."
Yet, by the time Ronaldo made his return to Manchester nearly two decades later, that trademark drive to go the extra mile had apparently abandoned him—at least according to Ten Hag.
"He could no longer bring himself to endure the necessary suffering," the Dutch manager revealed. "To get the most out of every single day. To get fit. If you aren't fit in the Premier League, you don't stand a chance. He's still capable of finishing chances—you can still see that. But if you can no longer get into the penalty area..."
Ronaldo's Record Under Erik ten Hag
Ten Hag confronted Ronaldo directly with this assessment. "You hold up a mirror to him and present arguments that hold water. Then, things become very clear." There was no heated response when faced with the cold, hard numbers. "No," the manager shrugged. "In modern soccer, everything is tracked."
"Every top team needs to embrace its star player, but that star player must also be willing to make sacrifices for the sake of the team," Ten Hag acknowledged. "That was precisely the problem with Ronaldo."
After rotating in and out of the Premier League starting lineup during the opening months of the 2022–23 season, Ronaldo gave a scathing interview about Manchester United as a whole institution during the mid-season World Cup break, bringing an abrupt end to his second stint at the club. "Ultimately, the choice was his," Ten Hag said of Ronaldo's departure. "Whether he was willing to make that investment. If he wasn't, then I had to make different decisions for the sake of the club. And that's what we saw happen."
Ten Hag's Scathing Assessment of Ronaldo's Later Years
If this is the end, it wasn't meant to end this way. pic.twitter.com/IoHayRTesH
In Ten Hag's candid view, Ronaldo had already slipped from his untouchable status the moment he departed Real Madrid in 2018, four years before the Dutch coach arrived at Manchester United. Ronaldo had just claimed a third consecutive Champions League title with the Spanish club, netting 44 goals in as many games, before completing a move to Juventus for approximately $117 million.
"Let there be no misunderstanding: he is, without question, a fantastic player," Ten Hag began. "He ranks among the all-time greats. But the reality is that, for the last seven or eight years, he hasn't been able to perform at that level. From his time at Juventus onward, it was effectively over."
Ronaldo was 33 when he arrived in Turin and hit the ground running in Italy, contributing directly to 96 goals in 98 league appearances across three seasons at Juve, including back-to-back Serie A titles. Even in his first season back at Manchester United before Ten Hag's appointment, Ronaldo netted 18 Premier League goals—a tally bettered by only two players across the entire division that campaign.
Nonetheless, Ten Hag cited Madrid's decision to sell Ronaldo as further evidence of the club's astute judgment in the transfer market.
"That is also Real Madrid's great strength," the former Ajax boss remarked. "They recognize when a player's level begins to decline. They part ways at a moment when, to the outside world, the player still appears to be at their peak—even though they are no longer truly capable of delivering."