Cristiano Ronaldo‘s bitter exit from Manchester United has been labelled as a ‘shame’ by a former team-mate.

Ronaldo left Man United by mutual consent in November 2022 after he had publicly criticised the club, the Glazers, manager Erik ten Hag and his team-mates.

His departure came two weeks after a controversial interview with Piers Morgan, which saw his position become untenable.

Ronaldo had accused Ten Hag and United executives of trying to force him out of the club and said he had no respect for the Dutchman and felt ‘betrayed’.

‘I don’t have respect for him because he doesn’t show respect for me,’ Ronaldo said during the interview.

Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United in November 2022 after his contract was terminated

Ronaldo had clashed with Erik ten Hag and hit out at the Man United boss in an interview

The 38-year-old joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr last January after his deal was torn up

Ronaldo had been dropped and fined for refusing to come on as a substitute against Tottenham in the build-up to the interview.

And now former Man United team-mate Eric Bailly has claimed the circumstances surrounding Ronaldo’s second departure from the club were a ‘shame’.

‘He was the best player in the world for me,’ Bailly told The Athletic.

‘Even when he returned, Cristiano contributed a lot to the club and a player like Cristiano deserves to feel important.

‘It’s a shame he left in the circumstances he did.’

Ronaldo, who scored 27 goals in 54 games during his second spell at Man United, eventually joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr in a £175million-a-year deal.

The 38-year-old finished 2023 as the top goalscorer in world football after netting 54 goals for club and country.

Bailly soon followed Ronaldo out of Man United, with the Ivory Coast defender joining Besiktas last September after an injury-hit spell at Old Trafford.

Former Man United defender Eric Bailly believes Ronaldo’s controversial exit was a ‘shame’

Bailly is now playing for Villarreal after seeing his contract with Besiktas end last month

But Bailly’s time at the Turkish SuperLig club lasted just four months as his contract was terminated in December.

Bailly had been caught in a bust-up with his own team-mate Tayfur Bingol midway through Besiktas’ league clash at Antalyaspor in November, where the visitors suffered a disappointing 3-2 defeat.

He played only 27 more minutes of football that month before his deal was abruptly ended.

The 29-year-old has since rejoined Villarreal, where he previously starred to earn his big move to Man United.