Ten Hag claims Ronaldo's decline began at Juventus in fresh attack on former United star

Erik ten Hag has sharpened his criticism of Cristiano Ronaldo, claiming the 41-year-old has not been able to perform at the highest level since leaving Real Madrid in 2018 — a verdict that directly contradicts Ronaldo’s enduring reputation as one of football’s supreme physical specimens.

Appearing as a guest on Dutch programme Goedemorgen Eredivisie on Sunday, the former Manchester United manager said the rot set in long before their five-month spell together at Old Trafford. “For the last seven or eight years, he just hasn’t been able to deliver,” Ten Hag said. “Since Juventus, it’s simply over.”

The comments represent a significant escalation of a feud that has been simmering since Ronaldo’s acrimonious departure from United in late 2022. Ten Hag had already made headlines earlier this month when he accused Ronaldo of “letting the team down” in training and of encouraging United’s players to ignore his tactical instructions. Sunday’s interview went further, questioning whether Ronaldo’s legendary work ethic had already deserted him by the time he arrived at Old Trafford.

“Every top team must embrace the top player, but the top player must work for the team,” Ten Hag explained. “That was the problem with Ronaldo. The players wanted to work for him, because naturally they looked up to him. But he could no longer bring himself to torture himself, to give his all every day, to get fit. If you are not fit in the Premier League, you stand no chance.”

Ten Hag also praised Real Madrid’s decision to sell Ronaldo for £99 million in 2018, describing it as a masterclass in squad management. “That is Real Madrid’s great gift: they know when to part ways with players whose level is declining at the right moment,” he said, now serving as technical director at Twente.

The claim sits awkwardly against the statistics from Ronaldo’s time at Juventus, where he scored 101 goals in 134 appearances and was the joint-top scorer at Euro 2020 — played in the summer of 2021 — just weeks before rejoining United. When that point was raised, Ten Hag did not retreat. “That is the perception, and that is of course how he became so great,” he said. “But ultimately, he could no longer muster the energy to do it every day. The laws of the Premier League are ruthless. Then you simply can’t keep up.”

Ten Hag also revealed he had met Ronaldo personally before the 2022-23 season to outline his expectations, but said the forward ultimately failed to hold up his end of the arrangement. Ronaldo has not publicly responded to the latest remarks. He continues to play for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.