Valery Karpin weighs in on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United and Portugal tenure
Valery Karpin, who leads the Russian national team and oversees Rostov, noted that Cristiano Ronaldo has stopped playing for Manchester United and the Portuguese national team.
“I can’t explain because I didn’t watch the Portuguese team’s games with or without Cristiano. But at Manchester United, Ronaldo also didn’t shine consistently; he didn’t play all the time. Probably Ten Hag and Santos have a reason for this. I don’t know exactly what’s wrong—To know that, you’d need to train Cristiano Ronaldo and see him every day. I don’t think he’s held back by anything other than choices and form,” Karpin told sports24.
Recall that the 37-year-old veteran was benched during Portugal’s World Cup match against Switzerland in Qatar. He entered as a substitute in the 74th minute, while Goncalo Ramos, who started, scored a hat-trick.
Ronaldo appeared in all three group-stage games, though one appearance was brief. Following the group stage, Portugal’s players voiced concerns about his playing time and the manager Fernando Santos’s selection. Ronaldo managed a single goal in the tournament, converting a penalty.
Previously, discussions around Ronaldo and Messi during the 2022 World Cup circulated widely, highlighting the ongoing debate about their roles and performances on the global stage (attribution: sports24).