Speaking to mid-day in an exclusive interaction, Brown acknowledged that Ronaldo’s stratospheric standards compelled him to seek a transfer elsewhere on the backdrop of reduced playing time under new manager Erik ten Hag
Manchester United's Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo (R) and Wes Brown take part in a training session at the Olympic stadium in Rome on May 26, 2009. PIC/AFP
Former Manchester United star Wes Brown pitied that things could not work out between Cristiano Ronaldo and the club as he understood the Portuguese stalwart’s decision to move to Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
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Speaking to mid-day in an exclusive interaction, Brown acknowledged that Ronaldo’s stratospheric standards compelled him to seek a transfer elsewhere on the backdrop of reduced playing time under new manager Erik ten Hag. “Ronaldo wanted to play football and he found it tough that even though we are still building a team, a lot of the times, he wasn’t starting or he wasn’t in the team. I can completely understand his thinking because his standards have been so high for so long,” said Brown, 43, adding that the equation between the ex-Real Madrid icon and ten Hag had become untenable.
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“Ronaldo and Messi have been the world's best players for the last 15 years. You want these type of players in your squad. But alternately, it comes to a point where it is just not working for Ronaldo – for whatever reason, so there had to be a change and it’s unfortunate,” added Brown, who is associated with bringing exclusive Manchester United experiences to members through Marriott Bonvoy Moments.
Ronaldo has also come under the scanner for chasing money at this stage of his career, with his transfer to Al Nassr speculated to be worth $225 million. However, Brown dismissed that notion and instead appreciated the 38-year-old’s pedigree that allows him to command such a humungous fee even at the fag end of his career. "The money is very good, but Ronaldo has a lot of money. So for him, it’s just the icing on the cake. It’s a lot of money to turn down, but I don’t think that money was ultimately the final sort of deciding factor,” concluded Brown
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