Cristiano Ronaldo did not make the fairytale return that he had expected when he returned to Manchester United in 2021. The club did not perform well, and Ronaldo was made the scapegoat despite scoring lots of goals.
When current manager Erik Ten Hag arrived at the club, Ronaldo was benched continuously and was eventually made to leave. This led to many people criticizing the Dutch coach for his behavior towards the Portuguese soccer legend. One of them turns out to be Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal.
Arturo Vidal talks on Erik ten Hag’s management of Cristiano Ronaldo
Arturo Vidal is most famous for playing for Juventus, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Inter Milan, winning a number of trophies there. He currently plays for Athletico Paranaense, though he played for Flamengo after leaving Europe. The Chilean is known for his trash talk and unconventional remarks at times. But now he has attacked a manager he has never played for in a very demeaning way.
Just as many fans believe that Erik Ten Hag was wrong in his treatment of Cristiano Ronaldo, so does Vidal. He believed that the Portuguese forward should have been better treated by the manager.
In his personal Twitch stream, the Chilean had gone on a rant, saying, “That coach came in badly. How are you going to take out Cristiano Ronaldo? That’s how these guys are. He was the top scorer and he takes him out. These bald guys are very complicated.”
Clearly, Vidal also thought that it was a stupid decision from Ten Hag to take out the top scorer of the team and handle his exit so unceremoniously. His ‘bald guys’ comment was also aimed at Flamengo manager Jorge Sampaoli, who he was known to clash with during his time with him at the club.
Arturo Vidal’s previous hate remarks aimed at Real Madrid
Arturo Vidal’s comments about Ronaldo are a bit surprising considering he is a former Barcelona player who is known for his hatred for Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo is known for being one of Madrid’s biggest legends, though he never faced Vidal in Spain. During his time with the Catalans, he made many bad remarks towards the Los Blancos.
He is known for often taunting Real Madrid, before the El Clasico matches. Even while playing for Inter Milan and Flamengo, he assured Barcelona fans he would knock Real Madrid out of the competitions they were facing, the UCL and FIFA Club World Cup respectively. However, he lost both times. He also accused the club of being favored in European competitions several times.
It is safe to say he hates Real Madrid, and their fans in return hate him as well. But it is still nice to see Vidal agree that Ronaldo should have been treated better, despite their club differences.
