Carragher: Cristiano Ronaldo is not worth the hassle anymore

Cristiano Ronaldo is not ‘worth the hassle’ for managers anymore, claims Jamie Carragher… as he insists the ex-Man United star’s antics are becoming ‘more of a problem’ later in his career

  • Cristiano Ronaldo is still on the hunt for his next club after leaving Man United
  • The 37-year-old left United by mutual consent after his Piers Morgan interview
  • No top European club has come in for him, with a switch to Saudi Arabia likely
  • He is expected to complete a luractive move to Pro League outfit Al-Nassr next 
  • Jamie Carragher feels Ronaldo’s maintenance level now outweighs his quality
  • The Liverpool legend insists he is now too much of a ‘problem’ later in his career 

Jamie Carragher believes Cristiano Ronaldo is not ‘worth the hassle’ anymore as his performance levels no longer outweigh the stress that comes with managing him.

Ronaldo left Manchester United by mutual consent last month after his tumultuous four-month spell under Erik ten Hag came to a head in an explosive tell-all interview with Piers Morgan.

During that astonishing conversation, the 37-year-old lashed out at Ten Hag, his predecessor Ralf Rangnick, his United team-mates, the Glazers and more to put the final nail in his coffin at Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo is not ‘worth the hassle’ at this stage of his career, says Jamie Carragher

Carragher analysed Ronaldo’s recent downfall during his appearance on The Diary Of A Ceo

He then dominated headlines at the World Cup after being dropped from Portugal’s starting line-up – and reportedly threatening to leave Qatar when he found out – only for Fernando Santos’ decision to be vindicated when Goncalo Ramos, the 21-year-old striker who replaced him, powered home a sensational hat-trick against Switzerland.

Having returned from the tournament, Ronaldo is now on the hunt for his next club as a free agent, yet he does not appear to be attracting interest from any of Europe’s top sides.

During his appearance on The Diary Of A Ceo podcast, Carragher was asked by host Steven Bartlett where Ronaldo could go next – and the Liverpool legend feels he has simply become too much of a problem for managers.

Ronaldo left Manchester United last month after giving an explosive interview to Piers Morgan

The 37-year-old hit out at United boss Erik ten Hag during his astonishing chat with Morgan

Carragher feels Ronaldo’s maintenance levels now outweigh his performances on the pitch

‘Ronaldo hasn’t changed, he’s always been that sort of character, everyone’s known that – but he was worth the hassle,’ he said.

‘And that’s like everything in football, when we talk about a manager making a decision, can you put up with that?

‘You don’t cut off your nose to spite your face, but when it gets to that stage where you’re thinking “this is becoming more of a problem”… when a manager looks at you as a player, every manager wants the same thing: high performance, low maintenance. That’s it.

‘When it starts getting weighted to the high maintenance and the scales are more tilted towards high maintenance, it’s time to go.’

Ronaldo is expected to join Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr next

Ronaldo is poised to complete a lucrative switch to Saudi Arabia, with Marca reporting earlier this week that he will pen a massive £175million-a-year deal to sign for Pro League outfit Al-Nassr.

While a move to the Middle East would mark the end of his time in Europe’s elite club competitions, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner already has Carragher’s respect for displaying ‘unbelievable’ drive over the past 15 years.  

The Sky Sports pundit continued: ‘I’m no huge Ronaldo fan, I think that’s pretty obvious and that’s not for his footballing ability, [but] I’ve actually got so much admiration for his mental strength. I think it’s unbelievable.

‘I think [he’s] probably one of the strongest players mentally, because he’s had that thing his whole career, for how good he is, he’s still had Messi on his shoulder. He could never almost sit back and say “I’m the best” and relax, he’s always had this constant “yeah but you’re not as good as Messi”.

‘I know it splits people, but I would say the majority of people would probably side with Messi, I think that they do. And I think to always have that thing of trying to prove people wrong, and I’ve got that but on a completely different level, it’s almost like he feels he’s not ready to leave.

‘Everyone says he’s one of the best players of all time and I can’t help but admire that drive, because I’ve got that drive – just not that ability that he’s got!’




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