Entertainment
Real Reason Manchester United Removed Cristiano Ronaldo Mural
Following his contentious interview with Piers Morgan, Manchester United removed a mural of Cristiano Ronaldo from outside Old Trafford.
Ronaldo agreed to a 90-minute interview at the journalist’s request and stated that the club had “betrayed” him and that he was being ejected.
Along with criticizing the club’s present situation and facilities, Ronaldo said he did not “have regard” for manager Erik ten Hag and claimed to have “never heard” of him prior to his appointment as interim manager.
The Portuguese superstar, who attacked the Glazer family and referred to United as a “marketing club,” was also criticized for attacking Gary Neville and Wayne Rooney.
Before the first half of the interview aired on TalkTV on Wednesday night at 8 o’clock, snippets from it were shared online.
Although Ronaldo is now in Qatar training for the World Cup with Portugal, his employers are expected to punish him severely.
However, the club’s main reason for removing his mural isn’t specifically because of the Piers Morgan interview but a move to discontinue the No. 7 marketing campaign by the club.
In essence this has seen Manchester United take down a sizable poster that featured the Portuguese alongside several United greats who wore No. 7, including David Beckham and Eric Cantona.
The distribution of an advertisement featuring Ronaldo and other famous faces was reportedly delayed because of his transfer request in the summer.
There have been rumors that Ronaldo could be hit with a £1 million punishment for the interview, which comes after he refused to use the substitution against Tottenham.
If United sold the 37-year-old in the January transfer window, they would save about £15 million. The player is said to make roughly £500,000 each week.