Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Manchester United with immediate effect

Cristiano Ronaldo in action for Manchester United against Rayo Vallecano in pre-season.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Cristiano Ronaldo has left Manchester United with immediate effect.

A statement from the club claimed that the player and had come to a "mutual agreement" with the Red Devils and thanked him for "his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford."

Ronaldo has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks following an interview that he gave with Piers Morgan in which he took aim at his employers and claimed that he felt "betrayed" by his treatment since returning to Old Trafford. 

Cristiano Ronaldo World Cup 2022

Cristiano Ronaldo's interview with Piers Morgan has clouded the build-up to the World Cup for some (Image credit: Getty Images)

Last summer, the Portuguese rejoined the club that he originally played for between 2003 and 2009, leaving Juventus to make his much-anticipated comeback to English football. He scored twice on his second debut at home to Newcastle United but shortly into his second spell at the club, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – his former team-mate and the manager who brought him back to the club – was sacked.

Now 37, Ronaldo has struggled to break into the team under new boss Erik ten Hag, with the Portuguese claiming that he does not "respect" his new manager. He also slammed some of the players at the club with a less-than-professional attitude. 

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo will not have to wait until January to sign for another club, since he now a free agent (Image credit: Getty Images)

A free agent, Ronaldo is able to sign for any club he likes outside of the transfer window, given that he has come to the end of his deal with United. That deal was up in the summer of 2023 before its early termination. 

Ronaldo is set to make his bow for Portugal at the World Cup on Thursday against Ghana.

Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.