'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABhAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABwgQAAICAwEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQABREGEjEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQGEQACAQMFAQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMABDEFERIhYaH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AMlaObU6/wA55rX19RrK9u5aeHY3Wppcco8DcaIWCR9spPfwK3CMgd6np692zDBJceKOZ0jZ1RWKqeAsB0A4xgonbc957+mqHWLW3tpFWJAo4x+5RSc+mv/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson apologized to him personally after initially criticizing the Norwegian for dropping Cristiano Ronaldo once.
Cristiano Ronaldo re-joined the Red Devils in 2021, 12 years after he had left them for Real Madrid. He had a brilliant season back at Old Trafford, bagging 18 goals and three assists in 30 Premier League games.
However, many felt that the Portuguese icon made Manchester United worse than they were. Solskjaer led the team to a second-place finish in the Premier League in the previous season, earning 74 points. Meanwhile, they mustered only a sixth-place finish in Ronaldo's first campaign back in England with 58 points.
Even Solskjaer thought that he was better off using other attacking options instead of Ronaldo in some games. Hence, the Norwegian dropped the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to the bench for the Red Devils' 1-1 against Everton in the league in October 2021.
Ferguson, though, was not on board with Solskjaer's decision to leave Ronaldo on the bench. The legendary manager was heard lambasting the former striker's team selection, in a video.
Solskjaer has now revealed that Ferguson immediately called him personally to apologize for his criticism. The former Molde boss said that he was not too bothered about the Scot's criticism.
"That’s the one time Sir Alex (Ferguson) has ever apologized to me," Solskjaer was quoted as saying by The Mirror. "He was caught on a video saying, 'You should always play your best players,' after Ronaldo started on the bench for one game."
"He rang me and apologized because he knows how difficult it is. I'm clever enough to stay away. It’s difficult enough to be the manager of Manchester United without the ex-managers trying to give you advice."
Solskjaer was sacked by the Red Devils one month later following a 4-1 defeat against Watford in the league. The club pulled the plug on the Norwegian after they won only three of their first nine league games of the 2021-22 season.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, came off the bench two more times in the league under caretaker managers Michael Carrick and Ralf Rangnick last term. He found playing time tougher to come by after Erik ten Hag took charge at the start of this season.
The Portuguese icon started only five of the Old Trafford outfit's first 14 league games of the campaign. Frustrated with his lack of playing time, he left the club by mutual consent in November before joining Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Cristiano Ronaldo's record under Sir Alex Ferguson and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo played 13 games across competitions under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He bagged nine goals and two assists but also picked up three yellow cards, though.
Sir Alex Ferguson had brought Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United from Sporting CP in 2003. The forward shot to stardom under the Scot, bagging 118 goals and 63 assists in 292 games across competitions.
The superstar played more minutes (22,403) under Ferguson than he has under any other manager. He played the second most amount of time under Jose Mourinho, clocking 14,271 minutes.
Cristiano Ronaldo swapped Manchester United for Real Madrid for a then-record sum of €94 million in 2009. He helped Ferguson win ten trophies, including three Premier League titles, during his six-year spell at Old Trafford.
