"As a team, we didn't like it" - Paul Scholes reveals problem Manchester United players had with Cristiano Ronaldo when he first joined

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has revealed the thing about Cristiano Ronaldo that made him and his teammates unhappy at Old Trafford. The Red Devils signed Ronaldo from Sporting CP in Portugal during the summer of 2003. Sir Alex Ferguson wasted no time in snapping up the Portuguese winger after he impressed in a pre-season friendly against Manchester United.

Despite arriving in the Premier League as a raw talent, Cristiano Ronaldo went on to become one of the club's greatest ever players before sealing a then-record transfer to Real Madrid in 2009. But in his early days as a prodigy at Manchester United, the forward was often criticised for going down too easily and diving to win fouls for his team.

And while speaking to fans on The Overlap Fan Debate, Scholes opened up on how he felt about Cristiano Ronaldo occasionally diving. The former Manchester United midfielder admitted that the entire team wasn't happy with the reputation built by Ronaldo, and highlighted how the winger eventually stopped doing it after being told by his teammates.

Scholes stated:

“No, we weren’t happy with that. As a collective, as a team, we didn’t like it. He got told about that and it soon stopped.”

Cristiano Ronaldo, who returned to Manchester United for his second stint in 2021, has scored 145 goals and racked up 72 assists in 346 appearances for the club. After his unceremonious exit in 2022, the 40-year-old joined Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, where he currently plies his trade.

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"It's like an aquarium" - When Cristiano Ronaldo highlighted problems at Manchester United

Globe Soccer Awards 2024 in Dubai - Source: Getty

After parting ways with Erik ten Hag, who had the infamous fallout with Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United appointed Ruben Amorim in November, 2024. However, even the Portuguese tactician failed to arrest the slide as the Red Devils finished 15th in the Premier League last season and lost the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur.

Just a few weeks after Amorim's appointment, the Red Devils' coach had stated that his job isn't safe after losing five of his first 10 games. And during the time, Cristiano Ronaldo offered his opinion on the problems haunting his former club.

Speaking at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, the Portugal captain said that the coach isn't the problem at Old Trafford. He signalled at the overall environment and the atmosphere at the club as the main issue, referring it to an aquarium.

Ronaldo stated:

"I said this one and a half years ago, and I will continue to say it: The problem is not the coaches. It's like an aquarium. If you have the fish inside and he's sick and you take him out and you fix the problem and you put him again in an aquarium they will be sick again.

"The problem of Manchester United is the same. The problem is not always the coach. It's much more than that. If I will be the owner of the club, I will make things clear and adjust what I think is bad there."

Since leaving England, Ronaldo has scored 95 goals in 108 appearances for Al-Nassr. However, he has yet to win a major trophy with the Saudi Pro League club, with his latest cup final defeat coming against Al-Ahli in the Saudi Super Cup last month.