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Piers Morgan landed in hot water after conducting an explosive interview with Cristiano Ronaldo and revealing that the player approached him to organize the same.
The journalist took to social media to share clips from their soon-to-be-aired discussion, which showed Ronaldo expressing his disappointment with Manchester United amid their ongoing differences.
In the clip, the star footballer can be seen saying that he felt “betrayed” by the club and claiming that several people, including Coach Erik ten Hag, wanted him out of the team. He also said that he does not respect his coach, as he “doesn’t show respect” to him in return.
Ronaldo went on to allege that the Glazers do not care about Manchester United and claimed that certain arrangements inside the club have prevented them from reaching the top level like Arsenal or Liverpool.
Morgan released a preview of the bombshell interview just hours after Manchester United’s 2-1 victory against Fulham at Craven Cottage, which reportedly left Coach Hag and other players disappointed.
On Monday, Piers Morgan appeared on talkSPORT radio and mentioned that Ronaldo had asked him to conduct the interview:
“Cristiano asked me to do it, simple as that, he asked me. Recently, he’s been thinking about it for a while, it’s no secret he’s felt a deep built-up frustration about what’s been happening at Manchester United.”
The media personality said that Ronaldo knew he would face criticism for speaking out but wanted to reveal the truth:
“He feels it was time to speak out and he knows it’s incendiary, he knows it will rattle some cages but he also feels he should be doing this. He knows people will criticise him but what he’s saying is true, sometimes the truth hurts.”
Morgan did not reveal when he filmed the interview with the Portugal captain but mentioned it was “done recently.”
“He’s been thinking about this for a while then I got a call ‘I want to do it now’ and I think part of the timing was the World Cup is about to start, he could have a good World Cup, it gives him a month away from United and time for what he’s said to settle in then they can try resolve things.”
The journalist also clarified that Ronaldo mentioned several times that he loves Manchester United and the fans but decided to “speak out” to bring in changes to the club.
In response to the interview, several people called out Piers Morgan for creating negativity by asking controversial questions and for “hypocrisy,” as he once wrote a column about Ronaldo being a “spoiled brat.”
Morgan has long been criticized by the public for his controversial remarks and opinions, as well as his harsh journalistic style. His interview with Ronaldo sparked similar reactions online.
Piers Morgan’s long career is riddled with multiple controversies and criticism
The recent controversy surrounding Morgan's Cristiano Ronaldo interview is one in a long list of the British journalist's controversies. Despite being one of the most popular journalists and TV personalities, Piers Morgan’s longtime career has been riddled with multiple controversies. He has often been criticized for his controversial journalistic style and harsh remarks.
Prior to establishing a career in television, Morgan served as the editor of the Daily Mirror. Back in 2008, the journalist was fired from the publication after he allegedly published fake photos of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment of the British Army torturing prisoners of war in Iraq.
The move earned Morgan severe criticism, but he refused to accept that the photos were fake and refrained from apologizing during a 2013 Politico interview.
Morgan’s name was also connected to the phone hacking scandal involving the British media that came under investigation in 2011’s Operation Weeting. Although the former immediately denied his involvement, the findings of the Leveson Inquiry showed that Justice Sir Brian Leveson claimed that Morgan was aware that phone hacking was “taking place in the press as a whole” and that his testimony related to the case was “utterly unpersuasive.”
After moving to the US, Morgan replaced Larry King on CNN in 2011 with Piers Morgan Live. However, the broadcaster reportedly failed to connect with the American audience and often faced criticism for his views on gun control.
Reports suggest that the show received poor ratings and was ultimately axed in 2014. Following his CNN stint, Morgan was appointed as the presenter of Good Morning Britain but faced a similar response for his consistent, controversial remarks.
In 2020, he faced backlash after making “humiliating” comments about the show's weather reporter, Laura Tobin, wearing “leather hot pants” on set. Piers Morgan was also accused of mocking Chinese people while speaking about Queen Elizabeth II's grandson, Peter Phillips.
Morgan spoke about Phillips’ appearance in a Chinese TV advertisement and said:
“At the next royal event, can you imagine Christmas at Sandringham is like, 'I'm sorry your majesty, but I only drink yang yank yong ying ming milk'… OK then, ching chang chong, OK I got it.”
Following severe criticism, the broadcaster argued that he was impersonating Phillips and not Chinese individuals.
Last year, Piers Morgan stormed off the set of Good Morning Britain after he was called out by weather presenter Alex Beresford for the former’s comments on Meghan Markle’s Oprah interview.
Morgan reportedly said that he “did not believe a word” when Markle told Winfrey that she wanted to take her own life while she was pregnant with her son Archie. Nearly 41,000 viewers filed a complaint against the former, ultimately leading to Piers Morgan parting ways with the show.
Twitter reacts to Piers Morgan’s interview with Cristiano Ronaldo
Christiano Ronaldo’s tell-all interview with Piers Morgan took the internet by storm after Morgan released explosive snippets from their discussion following Manchester United’s victory against Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Metro UK reported that Manchester United is allegedly set to fine Ronaldo £1 million over the claims he made against the club. In the wake of the drama, several people took to Twitter to call out Morgan for asking the player controversial questions during their interview.
Some social media users have also slammed Morgan for “hypocrisy,” as he once criticized Ronaldo in a 2008 column himself.
As reactions continue to pour in online, it remains to be seen if Ronaldo and Morgan will address the drama surrounding the interview in the days to come. The interview is set to air this Wednesday and Thursday at 8 pm on TalkTV.
