Cristiano Ronaldo leaves ground early after being replaced

While Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United said on Twitter that he was glad to be back after the first pre-season match ahead of the new season, he might feel differently. It drew attention that he left the ground after being replaced after playing for the first 45 minutes of a friendly match with Rayo Vallecano held at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The Portugal great consistently expressed that he wanted to leave the team after the 2021-2022 season to play for a team that can advance to the UEFA Champions League (UCL) of the Union of European Football Associations in the new season. Manchester United was ranked No. 6 in the English Premier League in the 2021-2022 season and was not qualified for the UCL, to which the top four teams advance. Ronaldo did not join the team for its pre-season tours to Thailand and Australia last month and only returned to the team on Sunday, less than 10 days before the opening of the 2022-2023 season. Then, he played for the Monday pre-season game in Manchester United’s uniform for the first time in three months after a league match against Brighton & Hove Albion in May.

ESPN criticized his irresponsible manner for leaving the stadium before the game ended. Ronaldo was also caught complaining about team manager Erik ten Hag’s instructions during the game. “He is not on the level of the rest of the squad because he missed a lot of weeks. But he needs games and he needs training, a lot,” said the manager to Sky Sports. Manchester United will have an opening match against Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday on its home ground.


Bae-Jung Kim wanted@donga.com