'It's simply over:' Brutal verdict on Cristiano Ronaldo's career delivered by former Man United boss Erik ten Hag

As Cristiano Ronaldo continues to extend his brilliant career, closing in on the unthinkable milestone of 1,000 goals for club and country, his greatness remains pervasive throughout the history of football.

Still, not all those whose his career touched think back on their time together fondly.

One such individual is former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, who was in charge at Old Trafford when Ronaldo made his return to the Premier League club for just over a year, joining from Juventus in the summer of 2021, until his contract was cancelled in November 2022.

The Dutchman recently recounted his time at United, and specifically why Ronaldo fell out of favor in his squad, until he departed to join the Saudi Pro League soon after.

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Erik ten Hag says Cristiano Ronaldo's greatness has been 'over' for years

Having watched Cristiano Ronaldo every day first-hand at Manchester United, Erik ten Hag said that Ronaldo's body has not allowed him to play at the top of his game any longer.

In fact, according to the former United manager, Ronaldo's peak greatness was over the moment he left Real Madrid.

"The players wanted to work for him and they looked up to him, because let there be no misunderstanding, he is of course a tremendous player, one of the greats of all time," ten Hag said, speaking to ESPN NL.

"But there is also the reality, that over the last seven or eight years, he simply can no longer deliver. From Juventus onward, it's simply over.

"That is actually the great gift of Real Madrid, they always know when to say goodbye to players at the right moment. They recognize when a player's level is declining, and they say goodbye at the right time when to the outside world, they still appear to be at their peak, but they can no longer actually deliver."

Erik ten Hag snoeihard over Cristiano Ronaldo👀 "Hij levert al 7 of 8 jaar niet meer. Vanaf Juventus was het klaar." 🔗 https://t.co/fDUax22opZ https://t.co/Zfqc6UKlNZ

Erik ten Hag says Cristiano Ronaldo no longer 'works for the team'

According to ten Hag, the issue for Ronaldo has been that his body did not allow him to train at the heightened level he became famous for.

At Manchester United, the Dutchman says that he tried to persuade Ronaldo to continue training at a high level, but for whatever reason, he could not comply. As such, ten Hag says that was when Ronaldo began to fall out of favor, and ultimately left the club.

"Every top team must embrace its top team, but the top player must [also] work for the team, and that was the problem with Ronaldo," ten Hag said of his time at Manchester United.

"When I started at United, and I explained to him how we were going to play and his role in that would be, and what I expected of him, and what he could expect from me and from the team. But ultimately, you have to deliver yourself. And I said to him, he could no longer bring himself to push through the pain, to give everything every single day, and to train at his maximum in order to get fit. And if you're not fit in the Premier League, Champions League, or with the Portuguese national team, well then you simply have no chance."

When pressed by one of the ESPN NL hosts that Ronaldo's reputation of being in peak physical condition had him to believe that the Portuguese superstar was in good condition to play, ten Hag pushed back.

"That is the image," ten Hag said of Ronaldo's image of peak physical fitness. "And that is of course how he became so good. But ultimately he could no longer bring himself to do that. If you can't do it, then the laws of the Premier League are merciless. Then you can no longer keep up.

"You show him what is required, and he knows it too, because he knows what is required. Because otherwise he could never have achieved what he did. And then you come to him with arguments, and you show him the evidence, and it's very clear."

Ultimately, ten Hag says that he had to take personal affection for Ronaldo out of the equation, and make decisions for Man United that were in the best interests of the club in that moment unaffected by how great he believes Ronaldo once was.

"He has given so much to football. We have all enjoyed watching him, I have enjoyed watching him too. But at that moment I have to make the decisions in the interest of the team and the club, and then you have to be clear and decisive.

"I know that I did everything I could to persuade him to do so, but ultimately the choice lies with him as to whether he wants to make the investment or not, and if you don't want to, then I have to make difference choices in the interest of the team, and that's what we saw."