Manchester United have terminated Cristiano Ronaldo's contract by mutual consent following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
A club statement read: "Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect.
"The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances, and wishes him and his family well for the future.
"Everyone at Manchester United remains focused on continuing the team’s progress under Erik ten Hag and working together to deliver success on the pitch."
Ronaldo issued a statement of his own which read: "Following conversations with Manchester United we have mutually agreed to end our contract early. I love Manchester United and i love the fans, that will never ever change.
"However, it feels like the right time for me to seek a new challenge. I wish the team every success for the remainder of the season and for the future."
Where will Ronaldo go next? Have your say in the comments below.
The news broke during BBC Sport's coverage of the World Cup group clash between Mexico vs Poland. Back in the studio, Rio Ferdinand said: "I think both parties will be delighted now. He has obviously done that with the mindset that he wanted to get out of the football club and wasn't happy. "He made that very clear. I also think that Ten Hag has got what he wanted in this situation. Both parties are happy. Move on and it's the next chapter for Ronaldo."
Asked where Ronaldo could go next, Ferdinand replied: "I think it depends what his motivation is, is it Champions League? Is it money? Is it just to continue playing somewhere with a nice climate? This will be planned out and will be going on behind the scenes. "
Ronaldo's position at Old Trafford has been under intense scrutiny following his decision to take part in the tell-all discussion with close friend Morgan for his Talk TV show last week. During the bombshell chat, which was aired over two parts, the 37-year-old forward claimed he had been "betrayed" by United and manager Erik ten Hag, who he says had made attempts to force him out of the club.
He told Morgan how he felt he had been portrayed as the "black sheep". Asked if he felt United were trying to get rid of him Ronaldo said: "Honestly, I shouldn't say that... don't know... But listen I don't care, I'm always... People should listen to the truth.
"Yes, I feel betrayed and I feel that some people don't want me here, not only this year but last year, too."
The Portuguese superstar only returned to United for his second spell in September last year and his signing was met with huge fanfare - though things have gone incredibly downhill since.
Despite finishing as the club's top scorer last season, Ronaldo has become a bit-part player under new boss Ten Hag, who handed him limited minutes at the start of the campaign due to him returning late for pre-season. Ronaldo made attempts to engineer a move elsewhere but failed to do so before the transfer window, while United refused to let him go.
The relationship between Ronaldo and Ten Hag has soured further since, with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's omission from the Manchester derby defeat to rivals Manchester City a huge talking point. Ten Hag claimed he left Ronaldo on the bench "out of respect" as United were four-down at half-time, though then asked Ronaldo to come on as a substitute three minutes before the end of the victory over Tottenham, to which the striker refused.
Ronaldo then stormed down the tunnel and out of Old Trafford before the final whistle - an incident he admitted in the interview that he regretted. Ten Hag had responded to that tantrum by suspending him for one fixture before making Ronaldo captain for the next four matches, but the interview with Morgan left the situation irreparable.
Discussing Ten Hag in the interview, Ronaldo admitted: "I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me. If you don’t have respect for me, I’m never gonna have respect for you."
Ronaldo had taken aim at former interim boss Ralf Rangnick too, as well as club legends Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville, while also stating United had not progressed in the 13 years he had been away from Old Trafford since his first exit in 2009.
Asked by Morgan whether he expected to still be at United after the World Cup, Ronaldo replied: '"It's difficult to tell right now, it’s because, we, my mood is right now to The World Cup.
"It's probably my last World Cup, of course, my fifth World Cup. I don't know what's gonna happen after the World Cup, but as I told you before, and I will say again, the fans will be always in my heart. And I hope they been in my side, even if I back, or if I'm not back, or if I stay or whatever.
"Nobody's perfect. Episodes in the life we all have is part of the human beings, is part of me to be a human being and father as well. I always will commit mistakes. But I don't know, it's hard to tell right now what's going to happen to World Cup because my focus is for the World Cup, for the Portugal national team.”
He continued: “When I arrived at Manchester United, I always be available to help the team to do the good things, to put in the right spots, to compete with the best teams. But it's hard when they cut your legs and they don't like you to shine and they don’t listen to your advice.
"I think I have words to advise to the club because the trophies are one individual and collective. I think I can help a lot, but when the infrastructure is not good…”
Ronaldo is currently in Qatar with the Portuguese national team, who play their first World Cup fixture on Thursday against Ghana.
