Antonio Valencia, to Cristiano: “The interview was embarrassing”
The former United player has his own view of what happened with the Portuguese star in recent weeks, saying he deserved a better ending to his career.
It’s been over a month since Cristiano Ronaldo’s controversial interview in England came to light in which the Portuguese star revealed the multitude of problems he had with the Red Devils. The then-Manchester United player revealed astonishing details regarding how he perceived the club had treated him at certain times during his time there. Put bluntly, nobody came out well.
The timing was also curious: the interview was broadcast just before Cristiano left with Portugal for the World Cup in Qatar, where his side were knocked out in the quarter-finals to Morocco. And from then on, the ties were completely broken. Days later, the forward’s release from the historic Premier club was made known.
Weeks have passed and still the issue is continuing to make headlines. This time it was Antonio Valencia who revealed his point of view regarding the matter. Although the former United legend thinks that Cristiano did not deserve such a sad farewell, he does not agree with the strong statements made by the former Real Madrid player.
“You will have your reasons for saying what you said, but I felt very bad for the way you left. It hurts”
“It’s a shame Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United the way he did. A player like him should have left with a full stadium applauding him. The fans loved him. The interview he gave was embarrassing. You may have your reasons for what you said, but I felt really bad about the way you left. It hurts. I hope all goes well for you at your new club. I wish him all the best”, said the Ecuadorian former player.
What is clear today is that Cristiano will not return to Old Trafford: the team that gave him his first opportunity when he decided to make the leap from Portuguese football has completely broken its relationship with the player. Now his future is more up in the air than ever before. Clubs like Chelsea, PSG or Bayern have already refused to take on Ronaldo. They have not been so blunt from Turkey or the United Arab Emirates, where there might be a place for him. In the meantime, he is currently training at Real Madrid’s Valdebebas facilities, although the club have no intention of taking the ageing star back.