Cristiano Ronaldo’s Relationships with His Managers

Wherever he goes, it is clear Cristiano Ronaldo wields a level of influence on coaches and the dressing room that not many other players are afforded.

But in some cases, that may have caused frictions in his relationships with some of his past managers.

While Ronaldo has held a great rapport with many of his previous coaches, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye with those in charge.

With Stefano Pioli confirmed as Al-Nassr’s new manager following the departure of Luis Castro, it will be interesting to see how their relationship develops with Ronaldo having praised his predecessor.

Over the years, Ronaldo has worked with some of the greatest coaches of the modern era, but here Mail Sport examines the working relationships he has had with those coaches, clashing with some, while holding lifelong friendships with others.

 

Erik ten Hag

It seems no love has been lost between Erik ten Hag and Ronaldo since the forward’s explosive exit from Manchester United back in 2022.

Their feud came to the fore once again last week, with Ronaldo challenging the Dutchman’s ethos at the club once again during a podcast.

Perhaps indicative that their relationship was never the greatest, Ronaldo launched a new attack on Ten Hag’s attitude, questioning the Dutchman’s view that United can’t challenge for the Champions League.

‘(As) Manchester United coach, you cannot say that you’re not going to fight to win the League or Champions League,’ Ronaldo told the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, sparking a snappy response from the Dutch tactician. ‘He is far away in Saudi, far away from Manchester, so everyone can have an opinion and is entitled to have an opinion. It is okay.’

Their feud largely relates to the power struggle that existed between the pair. Ten Hag, who took over from Ralf Rangnick, looked to impose his authority on the United dressing room at a time when the club needed direction – but that, it seems, did not sit well with Ronaldo.

An interesting anecdote, revealed by Manchester Evening News earlier this week, revealed that Ronaldo and Ten Hag had butted heads over a £1,000 pair of earrings the forward was wearing at training. The Man United boss had instructed players not to wear jewellery in training but Ronaldo refused. When asked to take them out by assistant coach Steve McClaren, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner seemingly threw them into a bush.

Ten Hag had dropped Ronaldo to the bench for several games during his final season at the club, with the Portuguese forward subsequently venting his frustrations at the former Ajax manager in an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, which would ultimately be the catalyst behind his bombshell Old Trafford exit.

During the interview, he hit out at manager Erik ten Hag, claiming the manager ‘didn’t respect’ the forward and that he felt ‘betrayed’ by Man United. The interview ultimately saw him leave the club by mutual agreement but it seems a bitter taste was left in the mouth of both the Portuguese footballer and Erik ten Hag.

Sir Alex Ferguson

During his first spell at Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson took Ronaldo under his wing. In his team of superstars, the former Sporting Lisbon winger would go on to excel under the stewardship of Ferguson.

And rather than perhaps a traditional coach-and-player relationship, it could be said that Ferguson had a more paternal relationship with Ronaldo, which blossomed after bringing him to the club in 2003.

In fact, Ronaldo has previously spoken about how much the Scotsman cared for his players.

‘It’s hard to mention just one [moment],’ Ronaldo said when speaking to Man United’s club website in 2021.

‘There were so many beautiful moments that we had together. Not just winning things. But in my heart, I keep the most difficult things.’

Ronaldo, who won three Premier League titles under Sir Alex, recounted a moment in particular when his father was ill in hospital.

‘Probably he doesn’t remember, but I will say it because it’s a beautiful story. One day, my father was in hospital, and I was so emotional, very low. And I spoke with him and he said: ‘Cristiano, go there for two or three days.’

‘We had difficult games [coming up],’ he continues, ‘and I was a key player in that moment.

‘He [Ferguson] said: ‘It will be tough because we have difficult games, but I understand your situation and I’ll leave you [out] and you can go and see your father.’

‘For me, these are the most important things – apart from winning Champions Leagues, to win the Premier League, to win cups and stuff. So I have to appreciate him, because what he said to me, he always did. I have to appreciate that.’

Jose Mourinho

The legendary Portuguese manager was one who perhaps understood better than many that you ‘don’t coach a player like Ronaldo’.

‘You have guys like Cristiano, where you are playing against Levante and you are winning five-nil and you tell the guy to relax and take a rest,’ Mourinho told the FIVE podcast.

“No, no, no, I can score one more goal!!” When you have guys like this, you know the boat is in the water and you just let the boat go and in the end, you enjoy the fight.’

But Mourinho and Ronaldo, equally, appeared to have a bumpy at times, having spent three years together at Real Madrid. While there were not many rumblings in their first season, differences in opinion over Madrid’s playing style started to emerge.

Ronaldo and Mourinho had notably clashed after a 2-0 Copa del Rey win against Valencia in the 2013-14 season, after Mourinho had been left displeased at Ronaldo for not tracking back.

In response, Ronaldo is thought understood to have said, per Sky Sports: ‘After everything I’ve done for you, this is how you treat me? How dare you say that to me!’

While their relationship seemed to have been strained at times, it seems time heals all wounds. Mourinho has since spoken out on their relationship and it seems the pair may think more fondly now of each other than previously.

‘I had only one problem with him, very simple, very basic, which was when a coach criticises a player from a tactical viewpoint trying to improve what, in my view, could have been improved,’ Mourinho said.

‘At that moment, he didn’t take it very well because maybe he thinks he knows everything and the coach cannot help him develop further.’

During his time at Chelsea, he was again pressed on Ronaldo, stating: ‘Cristiano gives me great memories and I wish him all the best in his career, for his country and his club.’

Massimiliano Allegri

Former Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri and Ronaldo also held a good rapport. Both have spoken highly of each other in the past having also experienced success together at the club.

But despite Ronaldo’s stature in the game, it seems Allegri wasn’t afraid to have a humorous dig at the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Italian football coach Domenico Tedesco revealed that the Italian football coach was unsparing with his dry sense of humour.

‘Allegri is a very charismatic coach. I really liked the way he deals with the team,’ he said to Goal and SPOX.

‘He ran a lot in training, played a lot of football and has a good, dry sense of humour.

‘If Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t get the ball to shoot, he also had the p*** taken out of him. It was very interesting to see.’

Ronaldo, meanwhile, has claimed that Allegri was one of the best coaches he has ever worked under, delivering a heartfelt tribute to the manager after he first left the club in 2019.

‘Thank you Mister!’ he said in a message on Instagram.

‘We lived a single year together but it was awesome because besides being a great coach you are a great man. It’s been a pleasure working with you!’

Rafael Benitez

While Rafael Benitez insisted back in 2015 that he had ‘no problem with Ronaldo’ there has been speculation over the years that the pair butted heads.

The Spaniard’s tenure at the Bernabeu would only last six months, but Benitez had admitted that he took over in difficult circumstances following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti.

‘There was an unfavourable environment: the departure of [Iker] Casillas, Keylor Navas, the arrest of [Karim] Benzema… There are complicated situations. And when everything gets complicated, who pays? Me,’ Benitez said.

According to El Pais, Benitez had handed a pen drive to Ronaldo which had instructions on it on how to beat an opposition player. According to the report, Ronaldo was left incensed by the gesture – handing the pen drive to Benitez’s assistant before saying: ‘Tell Benitez that I will get him a pen drive with all my goals on it for him to study.’

It was claimed the pair had clashed in the months that followed, with reports claiming that Benitez had favoured Gareth Bale over Ronaldo, but the Spanish coach insisted that was ‘lie’.

‘They [the media] sharpened nonsense like that,’ Benitez said.

‘The only comment I made to Cristiano Ronaldo, as I knew him from Manchester United, is that we analyse how he was shooting free-kicks. We looked at the trajectory, see if we can make any adjustments, saw we couldn’t and forgot about it.’

Maurizio Sarri 

In 2019, questions had started to emerge over whether a rift had started to develop between Maurizio Sarri and Ronaldo at Juventus.

The ex-Chelsea boss had substituted Ronaldo twice in two games, with the forward walking straight down the tunnel, visibly incensed by the manager’s decision to take him off the field.

Sarri vehemently denied that there was any ill-feeling between the pair, stating: ‘My relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo is good.

‘If a player who has won so much is angry about being substituted it means he still has a lot of motivation, and this is something positive.’

Despite that, Sarri has also opened up on what it was like to coach Ronaldo, telling Sport Italia: ‘Ronaldo’s management is not simple, from all points of view.

‘He is a multinational company; he has personal interests that must coincide with football.

‘His interests go beyond what is normal, beyond the team or club. I am a coach, not a manager. Ronaldo, however, brings the numbers at the end of the year.

‘But in recent years, I hear a lot about players and little about teams.’

Carlo Ancelotti

Another manager Ronaldo excelled under was Carlo Ancelotti. Together the pair would go on to win the 2013-14 Champions League title and a healthy friendship.

In fact, Ronaldo once described him as akin to a ‘big bear!’

‘Mr. Ancelotti was an unbelievable surprise,’ Ronaldo told ESPN in 2015.

‘In the beginning, I thought he was more a tough person, kind of arrogant – but it was the opposite.

‘He’s like a big bear, I’d say! He’s a cute guy, such a sensitive person.

‘He spoke with us every day. Not just with me but with all the players. He had fun with us.

‘He’s an unbelievable person. I just wish every player could have an opportunity to work with him because he’s a fantastic guy, a fantastic coach and I miss him a lot because we won many trophies together.

‘I wish to work with him again one day. But now I’m good, I have a new coach and I’m happy too, but it’s great I have good memories.’

Ralf Rangnick

In contrast, Ronaldo and Ralf Rangnick had a much different relationship to that of the Portuguese and his former Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti.

Rangnick arrived at Old Trafford after Ronaldo had joined, but struggled to win over the dressing room.

Ronaldo, though, did not hold back in his assessment of the 66-year-old, stating: ‘This guy is not even a coach,’ Ronaldo said.

‘All the coaches that I had in my career, I call them boss because if they assume the job we have to call them in that way. But deep inside me, I never saw him as the boss.’