'There Is No Time For Regrets,' Cristiano Ronaldo Says About Second Run With Manchester United

All-time soccer great Cristiano Ronaldo made his bombastic exit from Manchester United in late 2022 and has recently spoken up about life after the Red Devils at a press conference ahead of Portugal's match with Lichtenstein in the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2024.

"Sometimes you have to go through some things to see who's on my side. In a difficult phase, you can see who's on your side. [It was a] bad phase in my career, but there is no time for regrets," Ronaldo said after translation to English as quoted by Portugal-based outlet O Jogo.

"Life goes on and, whether I do well or not, it was part of my growth. When we are at the top of the mountain, we often cannot see what is below. Now, I am more prepared and that learning was important because I had never gone through [something like] that, in the last few months. Now, I'm a better man".

Ronaldo decided to return to Manchester United in the summer of 2021 after a decade-plus since he first left for the greener pastures of Real Madrid in Spain and Juventus in Italy.

Bringing back "CR7" did do a lot for the Red Devils as fans of the world-famous club began hoping that it would be the start of something new after experiencing five seasons of domestic disappointment.

From 2016 to 2021, Manchester United finished second in the English Premier League while having little else to show for aside from them winning the English Football League Cup (also known as Carabao Cup), the Community Shield and the Europa League in 2016.

His arrival should have propelled them to great heights, but a ton of internal issues coupled with the inability to bring in game-changing talent from other clubs hampered Manchester United's 2021-22 season.

Outside of the club again failing to win any piece of silverware, it also marked the first time that Ronaldo went trophyless since 2010–his first season with Real Madrid.

This season, new manager Erik ten Hag opted not to utilize Ronaldo on the pitch much after a dreadful start to the season that featured dismal losses to Brighton & Hove Albion and Brighton which led to the Piers Morgan interview that kickstarted his second departure from Old Trafford.

Add in the fact that longtime rival Lionel Messi finally claimed the lone jewel missing from either of their crowns in the form of the FIFA World Cup trophy, one could conclude that Ronaldo did not have the best year.

Despite the messy breakup, both sides appear to have found life apart from one another.

Manchester United has gone on to win the English Football League Cup and is in the semifinals against Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup while Ronaldo has amassed nine goals for Saudi Arabia-based club Al Nassr in seven games.