Former Juventus boss Andrea Pirlo has lifted the lid on what it was like to manage Cristiano Ronaldo, who controversially slammed Manchester United's latest managers before making the move to Saudi Arabia.
The Portuguese forward made the headlines in November after tearing into his previous two managers at United, Erik ten Hag and Ralf Rangnick, during an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan.
The Red Devils responded a week later by mutually agreeing to terminate Ronaldo's contract, with the player later making a record move to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.
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His comments regarding Ten Hag and Rangnick surprised some as he had previously praised other ex-managers of his, such as Pirlo, Zinedine Zidane and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The former managed Ronaldo for nine months at Juventus during the 2020/21 campaign, in which the duo won the Coppa Italia together, with the superstar contributing with 36 goals and four assists in 44 appearances that season.
However, their relationship was not always drama-free, with Ronaldo often appearing to be livid when the Italian tactician decided to substitute him off during matches.
Pirlo has now reflected on his experience working with the 38-year-old.
"For me, it was easy to work with him," the now-Fatih Karagumruk head coach told the Daily Mail.
"He was a good guy, very professional. He wanted to play every game, to score every game.
"We didn't have a problem but football changes very quickly. Age also.
"Maybe he had a problem with another team, but for me it was a good experience."
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Shortly after that infamous interview, Pirlo also defended his former striker in November 2022.
"I think Ronaldo had been waiting for a long time to give that interview," the 43-year-old told Diretta.it.
"He'd prepared everything beforehand.
"Ronaldo has always had pressure on him and always will, that's not an issue for him.
"I don't think it put pressure on the Portugal squad [at the 2022 FIFA World Cup] either, because even if he hadn't given that interview, the media still would've asked him questions about Manchester United during the World Cup.
"I think this is why he decided to get it out of the way, like pulling out a tooth that is wobbly, and now he'll be even more fired up than before."
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