Ian Wright has suggested that Cristiano Ronaldo seek counselling to help him deal with the new-found negativity coming his way as his Manchester United career looks to draw to a dramatic climax.
The Arsenal legend also said it was ‘sad’ to see how one of the greatest to ever play the game is dealing with the twilight years of an unprecedented career at the top, with an outlandish 2022-23 coming to a head in a recent interview.
In a now well-documented tell-all talk with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo admitted to feeling ‘betrayed’ by United, openly declared a lack of respect for his manager, accused Gary Neville of using him for ‘fame’ and slammed former manager Ralf Rangnick.
‘It’s quite sad to see when you consider what Cristiano Ronaldo has done and what he’s achieved in his career,’ He said on The Kelly and Wrighty Show.
‘For him not to be able to deal with his career coming to an end – it happens to all of us, it happened to me – you do feel a sense of “is that it?”
‘He’s not used to hearing negativity but now it is coming to him. It must be difficult for him and something he may need to seek counselling for.’
Ronaldo’s salacious interview has snatched the headlines, with a long list of targets for the Portuguese’s ire including Wayne Rooney, Erik ten Hag, Neville, Rangnick and the Glazer family among others.
But the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has not spent long outside of the limelight in what has been a disastrous season for him, both in terms of his impact on the pitch and the effect it has had on his previously stellar reputation.
He now adds a condemning interview to the growing list of offences at the club, including refusing to come off the bench against Tottenham, leaving the game before kick-off and requesting a transfer over the summer.
And as a result of his actions, the 37-year-old has naturally come in for heavy criticism from pundits including Jamie Carragher and Neville, both of whom he later blanked on live television.
‘I find that petty,’ Wright added. ‘I was quite uncomfortable watching what he did to Jamie Carragher.
‘When I watch Carragher’s summary of the situation, it’s not a million miles off. All of the stuff he said – about Ronaldo’s age and profile – has come to be.
‘No pundit is going out there just to dig players out, it’s not personal.
‘It’s petty because Gary Neville has always stuck by Ronaldo. The one time Gary criticised the way Ronaldo acted when he refused to come on – which was terrible – and he blanks him for it.’
And Wright has joined many in concluding that the interview now marks the finale act in what has been a scintillating return for Ronaldo to the club that helped him make a name for himself.
‘It seems like he’s trying to engineer a move away,’ the Arsenal legend said. ‘I can’t see why else he would be talking like this.
‘It wouldn’t make sense for him otherwise. I think one of the things that stuck out for me is him saying that nothing’s changed since his first spell there. That’s really damning.
‘But for him to talk about not respecting the manager, I found that really difficult, especially after he left a game early. It smacks of someone who wants to do this final thing and then leave.’