A year ago
Harry Maguire delivers shocking message to Cristiano Ronaldo following Man Utd feud
Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo were teammates at Manchester United before the Portugal international left by mutual consent in November.
Despite their 'feud,' Harry Maguire congratulated former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo on becoming the first player to collect 200 international senior caps.
Ronaldo, 38, made history on Tuesday evening when he lead Portugal to a 1-0 triumph over Iceland, hitting the game-winning goal in the 89th minute. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has had an incredible international career, scoring 123 senior goals.
At Manchester United, Maguire and Ronaldo were said to be in a power struggle. Maguire was and still is United's captain, while Ronaldo was the club's biggest star and a leader in the locker room. At the time, Maguire disregarded the rumors.
The Englishman was thought to be feeling marginalized in terms of authority, and Ronaldo was expected to finally seize the armband. That never happened, as Ronaldo left Old Trafford in November following the arrival of Erik ten Hag.
Maguire kept the armband but is no longer a fixture at Old Trafford, with Bruno Fernandes captaining the team for the majority of last season. Despite the rumors of a dispute, Maguire was quick to congratulate Ronaldo's newest accomplishment on Instagram. He stated, "Some achievement."
Maguire's remark was accompanied by clapping and fire emojis. At the time, the defender stated that the rumors of his dispute with Ronaldo "aren't true," before adding, "I'm not going to start posting everything that is written, but I need to make this one clear."
In February 2022, a source contacted Mirror Football about the rumored feud. "Originally, Ronaldo was asking players to back Harry," they stated. However, the manager [interim manager Ralf Rangnick] now wants Ronaldo to mentor all of the younger players.
"That's put Harry in a bind because he's the captain and has to say and do whatever Ronaldo says to keep things sweet."
Ronaldo has won seven league crowns and five Champions Leagues, but perhaps his greatest accomplishment was transforming Portugal into a powerhouse. The forward led his country to its first two major championships, Euro 2016 and the inaugural Nations League.
"Two hundred games with the same commitment, dedication, and responsibility, just like the first time I played in this jersey," Ronaldo wrote. "I'm here to keep scoring, to pursue my dream, and to give my all for the team and for our country." "For love of Portugal."
Following his departure from United, Ronaldo joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, with Ten Hag still attempting to replace the veteran. Wout Weghorst was brought on loan from Burnley in January, however he did not score in the Premier League and will not be returning on a permanent basis.
United were previously linked with Harry Kane, but due to his £100 million price tag, are set to explore elsewhere. Rasmus Hojlund of Atalanta, Goncalo Ramos of Benfica, Randal Kolo Muani of Eintract Frankfurt, and others are among the candidates.
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