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In the 89th minute of the match against Tottenham,

Cristiano Ronaldo

decreed the end of the match, and went to the locker room tunnel.

It didn't matter if the game continued on the pitch at Old Trafford, if the score was 2-0 for his team or if his coach,

Erik Ten Hag

, still had two changes left.

What was intuited was confirmed at that time: one of the greatest players in football history is going to star in one of the most traumatic retirements in football history.

This summer Manchester United was not enough for Cristiano Ronaldo, and now it is Cristiano Ronaldo who is not enough for Manchester United.

Or at least it is not enough for Ten Hag, who in 10 Premier games has used him in eight and only in two as a starter: 340 minutes in which he has scored a goal.

The prodigal son had returned last season to revive the club that

adopted

him at the

age of 17

.

He became their top scorer with 24 goals, but they only served to finish sixth.

Cristiano wanted to leave to play in the Champions League, but he couldn't find where, and now Ten Hag condemns him to being a starter in all Europa League games, four at the moment, in which he has scored only one goal,

against the Sheriff of Moldova, and penalty.

Looking to Euro 2024

The footballing biography of CR7 begins in the summer of 2003, when in a friendly against Sporting Lisbon,

Sir Alex Ferguson

brings him back like someone who brings a

19 million euro

souvenir .

A 17-year-old bargain who wanted to wear the 28 on his back, but to which Ferguson gave the 7 that his captain,

David Beckham

, had just released to become a galactic, and that

George Best

and

Eric Cantona

also wore .

In six years he won three leagues, one Champions League and his first Golden Ball.

About to turn

38,

there are not a few who are reluctant to believe that Cristiano is at the end of his career, especially Cristiano, who in the last concentration with Portugal said he was ready to play, not only this World Cup, but also the European Championship 2024.

Ferguson and Cristiano last week at Old Trafford.EFE

Before the game three weeks ago against Spain, the Portuguese sports newspaper

A Bola

headlined: «

Less Ronaldo, more Portugal

», rejoicing in the end of

Christian dependency

, and in which the author of 60% of the goals of his team had lowered to 24%.

They would later recreate the criticism of the Portuguese's performance, to which his sister Katia Aveiro responded, as usual, on her

Instagram

account : "The Portuguese are sick, petty, heartless, stupid and always ungrateful (...) The Portuguese spit on the plate they eat, it has always been like that.

The old glories of English football converted into commentators have left only the Portuguese after his latest rudeness.

Former goalkeeper

Peter Schmeichel

said: "It's the first time I can say I'm disappointed in him."

Ten Hag has already been able to say it several times.

In the previous day, CR7 did not take well that he was changed in the 70th minute of the match against Newcastle and with zero to zero on the scoreboard.

"Nobody is happy when they change him, especially him," Ten Hag justified him.

In a summer friendly against Rayo, he left at half-time.

“It is unacceptable, we are a team,

you have to stay until the end

», said the Dutch coach.

At the end of the second league match, after being thrashed 4-0 by Brentford and dropping to bottom with two defeats, he refused to greet the supporters, and Ten Hag decided to put him on the bench for four games in a row, in which United won all.

"We need good pressure"

Cristiano's position is going to

Sancho

, or to

Martial

, or to the Brazilian

Antony

, whom United signed for 100 million euros when they already saw Cristiano out of the team;

but it is especially for

Rashford

, of whom Ten Hag bothered to explain what he does that the Portuguese does not: "We need good pressure, create spaces to benefit other players."

The Dutch coach acknowledged that he had seen the player leave through the locker room tunnel.

He had ordered him to warm up in the second half until the team went two-nil, and he preferred to let others in.

According to the

Daily Mail

, Cristiano would have refused to enter in the last minutes.

And again Katia Aveiro

's Instagram

reflected the feelings of her brother, describing what happened as "lack of respect" and "contempt", and calling for Ten Hag's dismissal.

Ten Hag, last Wednesday at Old Trafford.AFP

However, Cristiano wanted to apologize on Thursday for his attitude: "As I have always done throughout my career, I try to live and play with respect towards my teammates, my opponents and my coaches. That has not changed. I am the same person (...) I started very young, and the example of the most experienced players was always very important to me. That is why

I have always tried to set an example for the young people

who grew up in all the teams that I have represented. Unfortunately, that It's not always possible and sometimes we get carried away in the heat of the moment. Now I feel like I have to work hard at Carrington and support my teammates."

A few hours later, during his press conference prior to the Premier League match against Chelsea, Ten Hag was asked if the Madeira star had refused to take the pitch against Spurs.

The laconic "yes" of the Dutch opened an even deeper crack between the two.

"That conversation was something between Cristiano and myself. The club's statement is equally clear," added Ten Hag.

For now, and waiting for a possible economic fine, he remains firm in leaving him

out of the call

for Saturday's duel at Stamford Bridge.

And who knows if any more until Halloween, when it will be 19 years since his first goal for United.

We'll see if Ten Hag allows the homage.

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