In almost all circumstances, no one player is bigger than the club they play for – however the past 12 months for Cristiano Ronaldo suggest’s that he believes otherwise.
Ronaldo has time after time had his name in the media regarding his situation at Manchester United.
The latest saga surrounding the forward is that he’s hit out at Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and senior club officials in a recent bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.
We’ve taken a look at five times when players have fell out with their clubs, with Ronaldo the first we talk about.
Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United
The five-time Ballon D’or winner has fell out with new boss Ten Hag and has started just four Premier League games this season, scoring once.
It’s been a drama-filled past 12 months for Ronaldo and United, and there’s been multiple controversies since the summer. Last month, he refused to come on as a substitute against Spurs, and even left the stadium early. That was already enough reason for Ronaldo to be in hot water, but things have intensified even more since then.
Monday night, it was revealed online that Ronaldo has ‘no respect’ for Ten Hag, he took a dig at senior club officials and even started throwing shade at club legend Wayne Rooney, while also shaming former interim manager Ralf Rangnick.
"I feel betrayed."
EXCLUSIVE: Cristiano Ronaldo tells Piers Morgan he feels like he's being forced out of Manchester United in an explosive interview.
90 Minutes with Ronaldo. Wednesday and Thursday at 8pm on TalkTV.@cristiano | @piersmorgan | @TalkTV | #PMU pic.twitter.com/nqp4mcXHB0
— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) November 13, 2022
Romelu Lukaku – Chelsea
In a saga that just seemed to last forever, Romelu Lukaku was centre of attention in his most recent spell with Chelsea.
It was late in December 2021, and Lukaku sparked controversy when he did an interview with Sky Italia, reporting that he was “not happy” with the situation at Chelsea and slammed head coach at the time Thomas Tuchel for choosing to “play with another system”. In the same interview, Lukaku expressed his desire to play for Inter Milan again in the near future.
Consequently, Tuchel dropped him from the squad all together he and was eventually fined for his comments.
Lukaku made his return to Inter on loan at the start of the 2022/23 campaign.
Roy Keane – Manchester United
It’s another falling out with United that makes our list, and it can be expected given the size of the club.
All the way back in 2005, captain Roy Keane left the club after weeks of tension. Keane made comments on the club’s television channel MUTV where he criticised seven of his teammates, and eventually fell out with manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Sources back then suggested that the Irishman had a row with Fergie after being told he wasn’t wanted for a reserve game against West Bromwich Albion.
Keane was at the club for 12 years becoming one of the best players in his position in the history of the Premier League.
William Gallas – Chelsea
William Gallas was involved in one of the biggest falling outs that English football has seen.
Gallas made it clear that he wanted to leave Chelsea, and in the end moved to Arsenal in a deal which seen Ashley Cole go in the other direction.
However, there was drama after the deal went through. After the transfer, the club issued a statement that Gallas threatened to deliberately score own goals if he was not allowed to leave Chelsea. Gallas rejected Chelsea’s claim and accused the West Londoners of “lacking class” and “hiding behind false accusations.”
David Beckham – Manchester United
David Beckham’s falling out with United was one of the saddest occasions where a player’s relationship with their club broke down. Beckham fell out with Sir Alex and Manchester united. The player admitted later on in his career that he made stupid decisions, and Sir Alex was convinced that the player was not sincere enough about playing football.
They eventually fell out, as Fergie infamously kicked a boot which hit him on the forehead giving him a cut. Soon after this, the player would leave the Red Devils and join Real Madrid.
Beckham later admitted that he wanted to stay in United.
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