First general settlement, then World Cup: Ronaldo enrages Manchester United and flees to Qatar

Cristiano Ronaldo wants to concentrate fully on the title hunt with Portugal - first he sets fire to Manchester United with his statements and then disappears to Qatar for the World Cup.

First general settlement, then World Cup: Ronaldo enrages Manchester United and flees to Qatar

Cristiano Ronaldo wants to concentrate fully on the title hunt with Portugal - first he sets fire to Manchester United with his statements and then disappears to Qatar for the World Cup. But the national team gave him a frosty welcome before his fifth world tournament.

Cristiano Ronaldo poses like a boxer before the decisive blow. Ready for battle and fists raised, the superstar kneels on the pitch, the Portuguese Football Federation crest on his chest, some of his national team-mates gathered behind him. He's ready, ready for the World Cup - ready to put his Manchester United troubles behind him.

"Total and absolute concentration on the work of the national team. A united group that pursues a single goal: to make the dream of all Portuguese come true," Ronaldo wrote on Instagram on Monday under the photo that showed him with Vitor Ferreira, Diogo Dalot, Pepe and Jose Sa shows. Just a few hours before his posting, the five-time world footballer had struck out on the show "Piers Morgan Uncensored" for a harsh general settlement with Manchester United and thus probably burned all bridges behind him.

The "Times" wrote that United was "angry" after the explosive interview, of which only excerpts have been published so far. The club is talking to a lawyer about how to deal with Ronaldo. According to the Mirror, the "angry" club bosses are considering all options - up to and including dismissal. The US broadcaster ESPN wrote that coach Erik ten Hag no longer wanted to work with the Portuguese.

United itself has so far been reluctant to comment. The club announced on Monday that they only wanted to react to the statements after checking all the facts. But it is not only in England that the house blessing seems to be hanging crookedly. In a video posted to the Portugal national team's Instagram on Monday, the greeting between Ronaldo and fellow United player Bruno Fernandes was icy.

When he enters the locker room, he touches Ronaldo's arm and puts his things down while CR7 is already stretching out his hand. Fernandes takes it after a short pause, a few silent words are exchanged, then Fernandes turns away to greet the other players. It remains to be seen whether this can be interpreted as a reaction to the interview in which Ronaldo distributed against the club and team manager Erik ten Hag. In any case, the clip on the Internet provides for speculation and amusement.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo's statements continue to make headlines. In a clip published on Monday, the striker criticized American club owners for not having the best interests of the club in mind. The Glazer family is not interested in the club, said Ronaldo, who returned to United last year: "They get money from the marketing, I don't think they care about the sport at all." He also accused the club's leadership of having doubted his word when it came to his daughter's hospitalization during Manchester's summer tour in preparation.

TalkTV will broadcast the full 90-minute interview on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Ronaldo will be preparing for the World Cup with the national team far from Manchester these days. The plane from Portugal takes off for Qatar on Friday - many questions remain.