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Piers Morgan insists Cristiano Ronaldo ‘loves’ life in Saudi Arabia ‘both on and off the pitch’ as he reveals text messages with the former Man United star following his £175m a year move to Al- Nassr.
- Piers Morgan revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo told him he loved life in Saudi Arabia
- Ronaldo told the 57-year-old he loves his life on the pitch ‘on and off the pitch’
- The former Man United star had an explosive TV interview with Morgan in November
- Ronaldo’s comments led to his United contract being mutually terminated
Piers Morgan has revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo contacted him to say that he has been loving life in Saudi Arabia since moving to Al-Nassr earlier this month.
After weeks of speculation following his acrimonious departure from Manchester United, Ronaldo opted to sign with the Saudi Pro League club, becoming the highest-paid player of all time in the process, earning a whopping £175m. sterling a year.
Despite accusations that a move to the Middle East represented the end of his illustrious career at the highest levels of the game, Morgan revealed that the former Real Madrid star had contacted him via text to tell him how much he is enjoying himself. his last move.
Piers Morgan revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo contacted him to express how much he enjoys Saudi Arabia
‘Is happy? Definitely,” Piers said. Tatler. “I’ve had a few text messages with him, and he loves it, on and off the pitch.”
After seeming destined to leave Old Trafford this summer, Ronaldo finally stayed on at United for the start of the current Premier League campaign.
The 37-year-old eventually found himself relegated to a team role within Erik ten Hag’s rejuvenated squad, with tensions between the star and his new manager reaching boiling point when Ronaldo refused to appear as a late substitute as the team searched consolidate the win against Spurs in October.
The 37-year-old’s return to Man United came to a bitter end after explosive comments in an interview with Morgan.
But the 37-year-old became the highest-paid footballer in history with his move to Al-Nassr.
The following month, Ronaldo made a series of inflammatory comments in a television interview with Morgan, claiming that he felt betrayed by the club with which he had enjoyed so much success during his rise to stardom, and claiming that the Dutch manager did not respect him.
Ronaldo’s comments proved so controversial that the club eventually agreed to a mutual termination of his contract, resulting in the three-time Premier League winner captaining his country to the 2022 World Cup as a free agent.
However, Morgan argued that the backlash from the now infamous interview had not proven detrimental to Ronaldo’s career.
“Thanks to the fallout from our interview, Ronaldo signed the biggest transfer deal in football history and is now the highest paid athlete in the world, at the age of 37.
Morgan added that the Portuguese star’s willingness to test his skills in new leagues gives him the edge over Lionel Messi as the greatest of all time.
“He is also doing what he has done throughout his career, and that for me gives him an advantage over Messi, and that is challenging himself in a new country and a new league, at a time when football in the Middle East is really taking off, as we saw at the World Cup in Qatar where Morocco reached the semi-finals and Saudi Arabia beat the eventual winner, Messi’s Argentina.
He wanted to break free of Manchester United, where he rightfully felt disrespected by both the manager and the club’s top executives.
“Ideally I think he would have preferred to play for another top club in the Champions League for a year or two, but Al Nassr made him an amazing offer, and I think the new challenge of raising the profile of football in a new region of the world , in the twilight of his incredible career, really appealed to him.’