"Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate affect," Manchester United said in a Tuesday tweet, thanking him for "his immense contribution across two spells" playing for the team.
Screenshot of Manchester United twitter page
© Twitter/ Manchester United
The news comes after the English club said it was preparing to punish Ronaldo for speaking ill of the team in a recent interview on British television.
Earlier this month, Ronaldo told ITV's Piers Morgan that he felt "betrayed" by Manchester United's coaching staff and claimed they had tried to "force him out." He also said he has "no respect" for MU boss Erik ten Hag because ten Hag “doesn't show respect” for him.
The interview set off reports in the British press that ten Hag was planning to get rid of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who is Manchester's leading scorer. He scored 145 goals in 346 appearances for the club.
The 37-year-old footballer is presently serving as captain for the Portuguese national team at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he is poised to break a number of records if things go well.