‘Free as a bird’ – Piers Morgan reveals what Cristiano Ronaldo text him following Man Utd exit

• Ronaldo left United in mid-November
• Departure followed comments to Morgan
• Host reveals CR7 is delighted to be gone

WHAT HAPPENED? Morgan exchanged a number of messages with the Portugal star, with both joking about his feeling of freedom after leaving the Manchester club. The TV host, whose interview helped Ronaldo get ejected from United, also thought rumours of a Saudi transfer were premature.

WHAT THEY SAID: “I texted Cristiano a GIF of William Wallace in Braveheart shouting: ‘Freedom!’,” Morgan revealed. “He thought that was a perfect summation of how he felt. ‘Free as a bird’ was his response.”

On reports of a blockbuster move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, Morgan responded: “He thinks that if he does well at this World Cup, he’ll get what he really wants, which is a club in the Champions League that extends his record and his legacy. It’s not about money at this stage of his career. It comes down to a burning desire to play football at the highest level, to break records and win trophies. And he has done that in more countries than any other player in history.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: While Ronaldo may be eyeing a move to one of Europe’s top teams, his performances at the World Cup aren’t helping his chances. A record-breaking opening day penalty caught the headlines, but since then the 37-year-old has underwhelmed, and was personally responsible for South Korea’s equaliser against Portugal as they recorded a famous comeback victory on Friday.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

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DID YOU KNOW? Ronaldo has attempted exactly 100 shots at World Cup tournaments, the first player to reach this total since full shot data is available (1966).

WHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO? Despite defeat on matchday three, Portugal still progressed as Group H winners, meaning they will go on to play Switzerland in the last 16 on Tuesday.