Cristiano Ronaldo made headlines after leaving Old Trafford before the end of Manchester United’s win over Tottenham, something he did on multiple occasions before at Juventus.
The 37-year-old Portuguese star was left on the bench by Erik ten Hag for the Red Devils’ Premier League clash against Antonio Conte’s Spurs yesterday and he was clearly unhappy about this, looking dejected and frustrated as he sat on the sidelines. Before the end of the match, he was seen trotting down the tunnel and reportedly left the stadium, heading home before the full time whistle.
In November 2019, when Juventus were hosting Milan, Ronaldo was taken off the pitch in the 55th minute by then-coach Maurizio Sarri, being replaced by the eventual match winner Paulo Dybala. He left the Allianz Stadium three minutes before the full time whistle, something that Sarri discussed after the match to the media.
“He’s angry at the time of the substitution, I’d be much more worried if he didn’t get upset.”
The then-Juventus coach was asked if leaving the stadium early was disrespectful to his teammates.
“As I said, I don’t know. If it’s true that he left before the end it’s a problem to be solved with his teammates. There will be a discussion with his teammates who will say their thoughts.”
The following season, Ronaldo again left the Allianz Stadium whilst Juventus were still on the pitch. During a match against Conte’s Inter in May 2021, then-coach Andrea Pirlo took off the Portuguese star in the 70th minute of the match, and it didn’t take him long to express his frustration by leaving the stadium before the full time whistle.