Piers Morgan has hit back at claims Cristiano Ronaldo is "finished" after leaving Manchester United for the second time before agreeing a mega-money contract with Saudi club Al-Nassr.
Ronaldo, 37, was shown the door at Old Trafford in November following that jaw-dropping TalkTV interview with media figure Morgan in which the five-time Ballon d'Or winner criticised the club, manager Erik ten Hag and people associated with United past and present. He went on to pitch up at Al-Nassr following his World Cup exploits in Qatar with Portugal.
Speculation over his future was at fever pitch this summer when Ronaldo wanted to find himself a new team with Champions League football on offer. However, there were no takers for the Portugal captain at that particular level then and, seemingly, when heading into the January window.
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According to widespread reports, the former Real Madrid and Juventus superstar, who had two spells with United, penned a record two-year contract with Al-Nassr which is expected to see him pocket around £172million over that time. He has yet to make his debut for the Saudi club.
In playing terms, Ronaldo has taken a major downward step for his new adventure. However, according to Morgan - when prompted by one particular user on social media - that does not mean the Portugal captain is "finished" when it comes to his elite athlete status.
Addressing his 8.3million followers on Twitter while quoting a message to him, Morgan wrote: "Last time I checked, @Cristiano had just signed the biggest transfer deal in football history to become the world's highest-paid athlete at the age of 38, playing in the only country to beat world champions Argentina in the World Cup."
Morgan, 57, continued: "That's my kinda 'finished'."
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