Cristiano Ronaldo declared Premier League's most 'abused' player as 6 Manchester United stars make top 10

Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been declared the most abused player in the Premier League, according to Ofcom (via Utdreport).

As many as six Manchester United players make the list of the top 10 most abused footballers in the top tier of English football. The list was prepared on the basis of abusive tweets regarding each player between August 13, 2021, and January 24, 2022.

Cristiano Ronaldo, widely regarded as one of the greatest players to have ever graced the game, has received the most number of abusive tweets as per the survey.

During the aforesaid time frame, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner received as many as 12520 abusive tweets.

It comes as hardly a surprise considering Ronaldo is one of the most discussed athletes in the whole world. Just as enormous as his fanbase is, the Portuguese superstar also has millions of haters across the globe.

Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Manchester United has also divided opinions, with many suggesting that he has disturbed the balance of the team.

Red Devils skipper Harry Maguire has ended up second on the list, which is quite understandable. The England international has not been able to live up to his enormous price tag of £80 million which made him the most expensive defender of all time.

Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes have been named the third and fourth most abused players in the Premier League.

Two more United players made the list, Fred being the sixth and David de Gea finishing in the tenth spot.

Paul Pogba, who is now a Juventus player having left the Red Devils this summer on a free transfer, also made the list as he finished ninth. Another former Manchester United player, Jesse Lingard, made the list with the now Nottingham Forest attacking midfielder finishing seventh.

Spurs striker Harry Kane and Manchester City winger Jack Grealish finished fifth and eighth respectively.

---

Manchester United players including Cristiano Ronaldo being heavily abused is not a surprise by any means

Why as many as six current Manchester United players and two former players made the list of most abused players in the Premier League is far from a surprise.

The Red Devils are one of the most followed and supported clubs in the world and have heavily underperformed over the last few years.

Since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, they have disappointed despite making several managerial changes. Fans often take out their frustration on the players and make them scapegoats.

We will have to wait and see how Erik ten Hag fares in his new job, but he certainly has a sizeable task on his hands.