Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon gives his verdict on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United exit

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Cristiano Ronaldo remains a “wonderful” player and “has to be playing football”, says former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon.

Manchester United announced yesterday that the club and the 37-year-old mutually agreed to part ways with immediate effect.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is officially a free agent and it’ll now be interesting to see which clubs consider signing United’s former number seven.

While Ronaldo’s focus is solely on shining at the World Cup in Qatar with his beloved Portugal, he’ll no doubt be hoping that a Champions League last-16 side is willing to take a punt on him.

Despite not being an automatic starter under Erik ten Hag, Ronaldo’s performances have not been up to scratch this season, and while he can claim his motivation suffered due to feeling “betrayed” by the Red Devils, one of the greatest players of all time has only scored three goals this season.

Following his two-part explosive interview with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo and Ten Hag have probably got what they both want and it’s up to Ronaldo to let his football do the talking once again.

Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon gives his verdict on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United exit

Calderon, who stepped down as Real Madrid president in January 2009, played a vital part in Los Blancos signing Ronaldo from Sir Alex Ferguson’s United later that summer for £80m, a world-record deal at the time.

In an interview with The Mirror, Calderon claims that Ronaldo was never going to accept a bit part role under Ten Hag and that his “brutal” ending with the twenty-time league champions came down to frustration.

Calderon said: “Cristiano might be coming to the end of his glorious career, but he remains a wonderful player. It must have been so frustrating for him to not be in the team at Manchester United.

“United will have their reasons, of course, but someone of his stature in the game was never going to accept that. He has to be playing football. He has his pride and reputation to consider, so I think it’s a good thing his time there has come to an end.

“He wouldn’t have wanted it to end like it did, but that’s football sometimes. It can be a brutal business.”

Portugal’s quest for World Cup glory starts tomorrow against Ghana.