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Cristiano Ronaldo Doesn’t Hold Back on Ex-Manchester United Teammates in New Interview

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Hartnett | Last updated Nov 4, 2025 1:03 PM ET

Cristiano Ronaldo questioned the mentality of the current Manchester United squad in a recent interview with journalist Piers Morgan.

That won’t go down well with several of his former teammates who remain at the club.

Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, Casemiro, Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Diogo Dalot and Tyrell Malacia are among ex-teammates who remain at United from Ronaldo’s second spell at Old Trafford.

In the multipart interview, Ronaldo spoke of his love for his former club while also criticizing the way the club is being run and claiming that several players do not possess a winner’s mindset.

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“For me, I’m sad because of the club, that’s one of the most important clubs in the world, and a club that I still have in my heart because of the obvious reasons,” Ronaldo said. “Manchester United right now, they don’t have a structure. They have a lot of potential and a lot of good players, but some players do not have the right mindset.

“I hope that changes in the future, because the potential of the club is amazing. It’s one of the most important clubs of the century.”

United Have Fallen From Lofty Heights

Cristiano Ronaldo and Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United pose with their Barclays Player and Manager of the Month awards ahead of the Barclays FA Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford on April 13 2008 in Manchester, England. (Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images

The Red Devils have struggled to replicate the dominance that Ronaldo achieved alongside legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Together, Ronaldo and Ferguson collected three Premier League titles, lifted the Champions League trophy in 2008, won the 2003-04 FA Cup and twice captured the English Football League Cup.

Since Ferguson retired in 2013, many managers have attempted unsuccessful revivals of one of the world’s biggest clubs and delivered few major trophies. United have only won the Europa League in 2017, the EFL Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.

Ronaldo went trophyless in his second stint at Manchester United. A nasty dispute with the club and then-manager Erik ten Hag led to his departure. United terminated Ronaldo’s contract in Nov. 2022 after an explosive interview with Morgan, where he criticized the club and ten Hag.

Current manager Ruben Amorim took over at Old Trafford in Nov. 2024 and guided The Red Devils to the 2025 Europa League Final, where they lost 1-0 to Tottenham.

Ronaldo stated that United cannot win the 2025-26 Premier League title. Through the first 10 matches of the new campaign, Arsenal leads the pack with 25 points.

"Yes, it's possible for Arsenal to win the league," Ronaldo said. "But it's not possible for Man United because they're so many points behind. Ruben Amorim cannot perform miracles."

After finishing last season in 15th place, United currently sit in eighth place in Amorim’s first full season in charge.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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