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'I think Erik ten Hag did it on purpose. I felt provoked': Cristiano Ronaldo breaks silence on Tottenham walkout
On Thursday, a second part of the interview was aired where Ronaldo further talked about his equation with ten Hag before opening up about the Tottenham Hotspur walkout during a Premier League game earlier this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo gave a bombshell interview earlier this week where he opened up on his relationship with present club Manchester United and incumbent manager Erik ten Hag. On Thursday, a second part of the interview was aired where Ronaldo further talked about his equation with ten Hag before opening up about the Tottenham Hotspur walkout during a Premier League game earlier this season.
Speaking to Piers Morgan on TalkTV, Ronaldo said that he felt disrespected by ten Hag after the latter had claimed that he would put the veteran footballer up against Manchester City as a late substitute only to later bring him for three minutes against Spurs. The 37-year-old said that this very claim led to the walkout.
"You don't put me on against Manchester City because of respect for my career and you want to put me on for three minutes against Tottenham?" said Ronaldo. "It doesn't make sense. I think he did it on purpose. I felt provoked not only because of that game, but before.
"He don't respect the way I should deserve. But it is what it is. This is why probably, the game against Tottenham, I left.
"The coach didn't have respect for me. So this is why the relationship is the way it is. He keeps saying in the press that he came to me and he likes me blah, blah, blah but that it's only for the press, 100%.
"If you don't have respect for me, I'm never going to have respect for you."
Ronaldo further added that he did apologise to his teammates for the act and opined that he would never have respect for Ten Hag.
"I apologised to my team-mates for the situation, I did a post - I regret leaving the stadium. I regret my team-mates know what I felt, and I apologised," he said. "The coach didn't have respect for me. So this is why the relationship, it's in that way. He keeps saying in the press that he come to me, he like me blah, blah, blah. But that's only for the press. One hundred per cent.
"If you don't have respect for me, I'm never going to have respect for you."
