Cristiano Ronaldo's sticky relationship with his former club Manchester United hasn't stopped him from sharing his true thoughts on head coach Ruben Amorim
Amorim comes on for Ronaldo for the Portugese national side
Cristiano Ronaldo used to call Ruben Amorim 'the poet'(Image: Sky Sports)
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Cristiano Ronaldo once revealed what he makes of Ruben Amorim giving him the nickname “the poet”. The Portuguese manager has now been in charge of Manchester United for exactly a year, having left Sporting CP midway through last season to succeed Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
The past 12 months have been more gruelling than Amorim could have ever imagined, having failed to mount any consistent form and constantly fielded questions over the effectiveness of his tactics, as well as facing endless rumours surrounding his potential sacking.
But one person who has quietly had his corner in that time is none other than Portuguese and United football legend Ronaldo. In another bombshell interview with Piers Morgan recently, the 40-year-old Al-Nassr star said he felt his compatriot was doing a good job and could not work “miracles”.
In a damning assessment of how far the club had fallen, he argued that while some of United’s players were good, others didn’t have the “mind” required to be a player at such a club. Of course, it wasn’t the first time Ronaldo had praised Amorim publicly while taking swipes at his former club, who he left in bitter circumstances in 2022.
The pair are former team-mates for the Portugal national team. And during their time playing alongside each other, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner glowingly referred to Amorim as “the poet”, owing to his eloquent and striking communication skills when addressing his compatriots.
In an interview with United, the charming Amorim himself previously addressed the moniker. When asked about it, he said with a smile: “Yeah. But it’s like a funny thing because I like to speak - not too much - but when I speak, I think I speak from the heart. I think people feel that. It was something just to have fun.”
Despite all the doom and gloom, we have certainly observed that quality in his press conferences and post-match interviews. Amorim’s comments are often brutally honest, even to his detriment at times, while still showing plenty of charisma - something which may have earned him more time when results were not going his way.
Benjamin Sesko and Ruben Amorim
Amorim is known to be a great orator
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His achievements across a four-year stint with Sporting, where he claimed two Primeira Liga titles and two Taca da Ligas, made an impression across Europe as clubs raced for his signature. United, desperate to bring in the promising tactician, paid extra to activate his release clause last season.
But English football proved far more difficult than he had imagined. In his first season, Amorim guided United to their worst-ever finish in the Premier League, down in 15th place. He reached the Europa League final last term, where his side failed to qualify for the Champions League after suffering defeat to an equally dismal Tottenham.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal reacts to the crowd after receiving a red card.
Ronaldo has backed his former team-mate
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After splurging on new signings in the summer and a respectable showing in this season’s opener against Arsenal, United once again returned to their old ways with inconsistency in the league and shockingly being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Grimsby Town, which brought Amorim closer than ever to being dismissed.
His win percentage at United, at just under 40%, is one of the lowest of any permanent United manager since World War II. However, he finally managed back-to-back wins for the first time earlier this season and his side have managed to climb up to seventh in the league, potentially indicating a change in fortunes.
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