Tim Howard Hits Back at Gary Neville’s Criticism of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Second Spell at Man Utd

• Cristiano Ronaldo did not enjoy his second spell at Manchester United
• His time ended with a mutual contract termination in November 2022
• Former players Tim Howard and Gary Neville have disagreed over him

Cristiano Ronaldo’s second spell at Manchester United has generated differing opinions between two former players of the club over what impact he had.

Ronaldo returned to United in 2021 from Italian giants Juventus, 12 years after he first left to join Real Madrid in a world-record £80 million move in 2009.

He spent nine years at Santiago Bernabeu before moving to Turin, where he spent three seasons, before ditching Manchester City's call to return home to Old Trafford.

He started brightly under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, scoring twice on his debut against Newcastle United, but things soon went downhill, leading to the manager's departure midway through the season.

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Howard disagrees with Neville over Ronaldo

Per Talksport, legend and pundit Gary Neville was critical of Ronaldo in big games, saying he was a problem Solskjaer had to manage because he didn't work hard enough on the pitch.

Years later, the comment did not go well with American goalkeeper Tim Howard, who had a different view of the 38-year-old and indirectly hit back at Neville.

Speaking to Daily Mail via Mirror UK, Howard claimed everyone needed to work hard to make it, but despite being hugely talented, Ronaldo worked harder.

“You see the perfume and underwear ads, the McLarens and the Ferraris, the houses and the yachts.’ But? Ronaldo was the joker. And more crucial still: ‘You've never, ever seen a human being work as hard as him,” he said.

The Portuguese’s second spell has been put behind and his now focused on Al-Nassr and the Portugal national team. He scored 54 goals in 2023, more than any other player, including Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.

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Marotta slams Ronaldo's time at Juventus

Sports Brief reported on Beppe Marotta criticising Ronaldo's time at Juventus, three years after the former Real Madrid superstar left the Italian club.

Marotta, a football director in Italy, claimed the performance delivered by the Al-Nassr star did not meet the expectations and financial implications of the transfer.