Piers Morgan loves to massage Cristiano Ronaldo's ego. The outspoken British journalist is an insatiable status hunter, and reeled in his biggest fish some time ago with endless public declarations of admiration, eventually building a bromance that has earned him exclusive access to a footballing icon. But it is not one built on the foundation of truth.
Sitting across from Morgan, Ronaldo can boast until his heart is content, safe in the knowledge that he won't be challenged. Indeed, in their latest meet-up, promoting both Ronaldo's record-breaking YouTube channel and Talk TV's , there were even times when questions were ditched altogether for cringe-inducing flattery.
"I know about your aftershave, I use it, it’s very successful, I have to say," Morgan gushed. "I use it, people say ‘ooh, you smell like Cristiano’." Fans were promised the "most revealing interview" of Ronaldo's career to date, but instead got 78 minutes of bootlicking, centred mainly around the Al-Nassr superstar's vast fortune and good looks.
When the topic of football came up, they mostly trod over familiar ground. And even now, with the benefit of experience and hindsight at the ripe old age of 40, Ronaldo's answers were juvenile and born out of a lack of self-awareness. He also made a series of claims that either made no sense or were flat-out wrong.
Ronaldo's brilliance at his peak was a joy to behold, and his list of achievements is almost unparalleled. But getting friendly with Morgan has only had a detrimental effect on his legacy. Some three-and-a-half years on from his switch to Saudi Arabia, the veteran striker also seems to be completely out of touch with the modern game.
Getty Images SportUnited on a 'good path'
The last time Morgan interviewed Ronaldo, it led to the end of his second spell at Manchester United. His contract was terminated by mutual consent in November 2022 after Ronaldo accused then-United boss Erik ten Hag of disrespecting him and slammed the mentality of the club's younger players.
Ronaldo also appeared to take aim at the Glazer family, saying United had made "zero progress" on or off the pitch under the American owners since his departure for Real Madrid in 2009. Now, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS are overseeing football operations, but Ronaldo doesn't feel anything has changed on their watch.
“Right now, they don’t have a structure,” said the Portugal international. “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. Manchester United is still in my heart. I love that club. But we have to all be honest and look for ourselves and say we are not on a good path. They need to change and it’s not only about the coach and players.”
While it is true that the Red Devils have fallen to horrifying new depths as a team since Ronaldo's exit, it is ridiculous to suggest that INEOS are not taking the necessary steps to turn things around. The co-owners have targeted Premier League glory by 2028 to mark United's 150th anniversary, overhauling the club's recruitment model as a major first step towards that goal, while plans for a state-of-the-art new stadium billed as the "Wembley of the North" have also been unveiled.
Ratcliffe has made unpopular decisions, including laying off a large portion of staff and hiking up ticket prices, but United are now a stronger business entity because of them. He's also invested in new players and a manager who fit the long-term vision, and slowly but surely, results and performances are improving. Ronaldo has clearly not been paying close attention because his old club finally on a "good path" again
AdvertisementGetty ImagesAmorim doesn't need to be a miracle worker
Ronaldo has also insisted that United cannot win the Premier League title season, with an eight-point gap to leaders Arsenal considered insurmountable, and expressed sympathy towards his compatriot Ruben Amorim, who replaced Ten Hag has head coach in November last year.
“He’s doing his best,” Ronaldo said. “What are you going to do? Miracles? Miracles are impossible.”
Amorim's job was certainly not an easy one, given the mess of a squad he inherited from Ten Hag, but United didn't need a miracle worker, they just needed a coach who would use the near-limitless resources at their disposal more thoughtfully and stamp a proper identity.
Amorim is doing exactly that. In his first 12 months at the helm, the former Sporting CP boss has transformed United into a far more aggressive, direct outfit, prioritising discipline off the ball and speed on it. It has been a frustrating process that has included more setbacks than Amorim would ever have imagined, and a long summer of casting out the deadwood, but the proper patterns of play are clear for all to see now, and for perhaps the first time in the entire post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, everyone is pulling in the same direction.
It probably won't translate to Premier League success come May, and 2028 might even be too soon, but United are making progress, as underlined by their current five-match unbeaten run. If Ronaldo really cared about the club, he wouldn't be trying to dampen the renewed sense of optimism, as Amorim himself seemed to suggest when responding to his comments before a thrilling 2-2 draw against Tottenham on Saturday.
"He knows he has a huge impact in everything he says," the United coach told reporters. "What we need to do is focus on the future. We know that we, as a club, made a lot of mistakes in the past, but we are trying to change that. We are changing a lot in the structure, the way we do things, that we want the players to behave. We are improving. Let's continue and forget a little bit [about] the past."
AFPKidding himself
Ronaldo is obviously trying to cling to relevancy. There would be no need to keep word-vomiting negativity about United if he felt secure. But despite his best efforts, only the real die-hard CR7 supporters are following his exploits in the Saudi Pro League with any genuine interest.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored his 953rd career goal at the weekend, from the penalty spot, as Al-Nassr beat Neom 3-1 to stay three points clear at the top of the table. It was his ninth league goal of the 2025-26 campaign from just eight appearances as he chases down a third successive Golden Boot, and his 103rd overall since joining the club on a free transfer.
Those are impressive numbers at any level, but, as ever, Ronaldo wants more credit: "I've played everywhere. Everywhere. For me, it's more easy to score in Spain, than to score in Saudi. If I played the Premier League, now in a top team, I will score the same! If I had a good team, at 40 years old, I will score the same.
"They say things about the Saudi league, but they have never been here, they never play here. They don't know what [it is like] to run in 40 degrees [celsius]. They don't know. And I still continue and I repeat the Saudi League, it's much, much better than Portuguese League, of course. French league is only PSG. Premier League is good, of course, is the number one."
It has to be mentioned that the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League winners, Al-Hilal, knocked Manchester City out of the Club World Cup at the last-16 stage over the summer, and household names like Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane, N'Golo Kante and Ivan Toney have all joined Ronaldo in the Middle East. But from top to bottom, the competition does not hold a candle to any of Europe's top five leagues, or the Liga Portugal.
Although Saudi Arabia is growing as a footballing force, it is still seen primarily as a place for ageing stars to prolong their careers while earning a King's Ransom. And while Ronaldo has been prolific, a quick look at his Al-Nassr highlight reel shows he has benefited hugely from disorganised defences and terrible goalkeeping standards.
He would certainly not get anywhere near the same amount of time and space he does now in La Liga or Ligue 1, and is kidding himself if he genuinely believes he'd still score 20-plus in the Premier League. Let's not forget that Ronaldo only found the net once in his final 10 league outings for United, ultimately losing his place in the starting XI.
GettyWorld Cup U-turn
Ronaldo has repeatedly called himself the GOAT down the years, but many have disputed that claim because of his failure to win the World Cup. Portugal's latest disappointment at Qatar 2022 seemed to hit him hardest, as they were ousted in the quarter-finals by surprise package Morocco.
In an emotional post on Instagram, he admitted that the 1-0 defeat marked the "end" of his "biggest and most ambitious dream", which was taken as a retirement hint at the time. But with the 2026 World Cup now only eight months away, Ronaldo is still turning out for Portugal and is expected to lead his country as captain once again in North America.
However, when Morgan quizzed him on the importance of the competition, the former Real Madrid and Juventus striker performed an unexpected U-turn. "If you ask me, Cristiano, is it a dream to win the World Cup? No, it's not a dream," he replied. "Define what? To define if I'm one of the best in history, to win one competition, [of] six games, seven games. You think it's fair?"
Ronaldo also highlighted the fact that he's already won three trophies with Portugal, including the 2016 European Championship, and said he'd retire happy if he doesn't add the most elusive piece of silverware to his collection. But could it be that, deep down, he simply doesn't believe the "biggest dream" is achievable anymore, and is covering himself for when Portugal inevitably fall short again? Or is he once again trying to diminish the accomplishments of his eternal nemesis, one Lionel Messi…