On the Ball: After outburst, Ronaldo’s time at United is almost certainly over

Manchester United's star forward Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo has said in a TV interview that he felt "betrayed" by the club. AFP
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

The final decision on what Manchester United do with Cristiano Ronaldo will come down to Joel Glazer. Considering that the Portugal star, in his interview with Piers Morgan, tabloid newspaper editor turned TV interviewer, made sure to heavily criticise the club’s owners, the American Glazer family, makes the decision easy enough, even if cancelling a contract worth £500,000 (S$813,000) a week may be costly. A mutual parting is what both sides need.

As it stands, United’s public line is that they await the “full facts” on Ronaldo’s interview to be broadcast in full over Wednesday and Thursday night on a channel called Talk TV. Owned by Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch, it is a channel notorious for registering viewing figures close to zero. Getting Ronaldo has been a different story and by drip-feeding the interview since Sunday, with Morgan the arch self-publicist, it has made for an uncomfortable week for the Old Trafford family.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.