Cristiano Ronaldo interview: Disrespecting Ten Hag, Neville & Rooney criticism and why he doesn't like the Glazers

When the initial batch of quotes from the blockbuster interview dropped, one line stood out above all else: "I don't respect Ten Hag".

Undermining the United boss so publicly felt shocking at the time, but it's not like Ronaldo has made much of a secret of his true feelings this season.

Even before he stormed off down the tunnel after refusing to come on during his side's victory over Tottenham, the forward's body language has been dejected and laboured. Now, though, he has stepped up the dissent, most likely in an attempt to get United to release him from his contract in January.

It's not just the current coach that Ronaldo has a problem with. He also took aim at former interim manager Ralf Rangnick - who's now in charge of Austria.

"If you’re not even a coach, how are you going to be the boss of Manchester United? I’d never even heard of him," he said. Ouch!

Rangnick did not rise to the bait when quizzed about Ronaldo's comments a few days later, refusing to respond to the insults.

This was one of the more bizarre parts of the interview.

Ronaldo's former teammate Wayne Rooney had previously, and quite fairly, suggested that his behaviour at Old Trafford this season was "not acceptable".

When Morgan asked his guest why he thought Rooney might be criticising him, he agreed that United's all-time leading goalscorer must be jealous.

He then added: "I’m not going to say that I’m looking better than him. Which is true."

Ronaldo has also claimed that he feels "betrayed" by the club, with it his belief that senior officials have been trying to force him out as early as last season.

This one is a bit rich, considering he tried everything to depart the club in the summer after United failed to qualify for the Champions League.

It is important to remember that this saga is playing out amid tragedy in Ronaldo's personal life. Back in April, he and partner Georgina Rodriguez were expecting twins.

Sadly, only their daughter survived, with their baby son passing away.

Ronaldo reflected: "We don’t understand why this happened to us. It was difficult. Very, very difficult to understand what is going on in that period of our life. The football carries on."

According to Ronaldo, he reported to pre-season training late after his daughter fell ill. After informing the club of his situation he further claimed that senior figures at Old Trafford did not believe that something was wrong.

"It really hurt me. They doubted my words," he said.

Ronaldo created headlines after refusing to shake Gary Neville's hand when he was working as a pitchside pundit for Sky Sports.

He has since explained the snub, accusing his former teammate of criticising him without knowing the full story.

"They are not my friends," Ronaldo said of Neville and Rooney.

Talk about playing to the crowd...

Ronaldo also found time to slam United's massively unpopular owners, accusing them of only caring about the commercial potential of the club, as opposed to sporting success.

Many have pointed out that this is a bit of a self-own, as if the Glazers did care about results on the pitch, there is little chance that the ageing Ronaldo would've been purchased in the first place.

Ronaldo addressed his failed transfer to Man City in 2021 and the reasons why he decided to return to Old Trafford, rather than join up with Pep Guardiola.

It seems Sir Alex Ferguson had a pretty huge influence on that change of mind.

Ronaldo suggested Manchester United's youngsters were too caught up in technology and new cultural trends to work hard enough in training and follow his lead.

"They don't care [about playing with me], some yes but most of them no. But for me it's not surprising because they're not going to have longevity [in their] careers. It's impossible," he said.

Rangnick and Ten Hag may not enjoy Ronaldo's respect, but his former team-mate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still has a special place in his heart.

The Norwegian was sacked by United shortly after Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford in 2021, but the veteran striker believes he deserved more time to affect significant change.

''I love Solskjaer," Ronaldo stated. "I think he was a top person, because what I keep inside my heart, it's the heart of the persons. And Ole for me, is a top person… It's hard. It's hard to assume [the role] after Sir Alex Ferguson, but I think he did a good job for sure. You need much more time.''

"You have to be charismatic, people have to feel some connection with you.

"I think to be good looking helps too!"

Ronaldo tells Piers Morgan the secret to his worldwide fame.

Watch live: https://t.co/MmPz7ALHHl@cristiano | @piersmorgan | @TalkTV | #90MinutesWithRonaldo pic.twitter.com/Lba8ojjb7c

— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) November 16, 2022

Ronaldo was also in a typically modest mood when Piers quizzed him on his vast social media following.

The Portuguese forward attributed his fame to ''good looks'' and ''charisma'', while also comparing himself to a strawberry.

The CR7 brand might not be quite so strong when the dust settles after this interview...

Ronaldo talked at length about old rival Lionel Messi, but unlike his comments about other subjects, he stayed positive about the Argentina legend.

“Amazing player, he is magic, top," Ronaldo explained on Piers Morgan Uncensored. "As a person, we share the stage 16 years, imagine, 16 years, we share. So, I have great relationship with him."

He added: "I'm not friend of him in terms of, what I mean is a friend is the guy who is with you in your house, speaking on the phone, no, but it's like a team-mate. He’s a guy that I really respect the way he always speaks about me. Even his wife or my wife, my girlfriend, they always respect and they're from Argentina. My girlfriend is from Argentina. So good. What I am going to say about Messi? A good guy who does everything for football."

Having already been caught leaving one United game early - his first and only pre-season appearance against Rayo Vallecano - Ronaldo again stole headlines in October for leaving United's win over Tottenham prematurely.

Not only that, he refused to be substituted onto the field. Ronaldo gave an honest assessment of the situation: “Piers I will be honest with you, it's something that I regret to left from the stadium. Probably, or maybe not, I don't know.

"It's difficult to tell you 100% but let's say I regret, but in the same way I felt provoked by the coach."

The 37-year-old slammed Ten Hag's decision to play him for the remaining minutes of the game and stated that such a situation is "unacceptable" for key players. While he also explained that he apologised to his team-mates for the incident, he maintained that he didn't regret his refusal to come off the bench.