Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon believes Cristiano Ronaldo had no choice but to engineer an escape route from Manchester United.
Ronaldo has left the Red Devils after having his contract terminated in the wake of an explosive interview with Piers Morgan which saw him accuse the club of "betrayal". The decision to rip up his contract means Ronaldo's legacy at Old Trafford will be tarnished forever.
But Calderon believes Ronaldo was wasted on the bench and was still far too good not to be in Erik ten Hag's starting line-up. Calderon was instrumental in Ronaldo's £80m move to the Real Madrid from United in 2009, a world-record deal at the time.
Calderon said: "Cristiano might be coming to the end of his glorious career, but he remains a wonderful player. It must have been so frustrating for him to not be in the team at Manchester United.
"United will have their reasons, of course, but someone of his stature in the game was never going to accept that. He has to be playing football. He has his pride and reputation to consider, so I think it's a good thing his time there has come to an end.
"He wouldn't have wanted it to end like it did, but that's football sometimes. It can be a brutal business."
Calderon stood down as Real president in 2009 following a vote rigging scandal, but remains an avid supporter of the club and still attends games on a regular basis. He has travelled to Qatar to watch the World Cup where he had his say on the Ronaldo situation.
