28 November 2023 , 13:04
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic has disagreed with Cristiano Ronaldo on their views of the Glazers at Manchester United.
The American owners, who also own NFL team Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have been in charge at Old Trafford since 2005. The vast majority of United’s fanbase has not been happy with the Glazers’ leadership for a long time now with many former players also expressing their concerns.
Ibrahimovic, who ended his illustrious football career at the end of the 2022/23 season, represented United for a season-and-a-half between 2016 and 2018, during which he won the League Cup. And the Swede did defend the Glazers, suggesting the support given to Erik ten Hag in the transfer market shows their willingness to invest.
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“I think now in Man Utd, I don't know, there are some kind of demonstrations about the owners to sell it and that, but just a reminder, the owners are investing,” he told Piers Morgan Uncensored in October. “It is not like they are not investing because they brought in many players for a high amount of money. So I think it's a little bit wrong saying that they are not doing what the fans expect them to do, then I don't know what the real reason is behind everything.”
His defence is a stark contrast to the views of Ronaldo, who had a successful stint with United from 2003 to 2009 and won three Premier League titles, two League Cups, as well as a Champions League and FA Cup triumph. The Portuguese captain made his return in 2021, 12 years after leaving for Real Madrid.
His second stint began rather well as he finished the 2021/22 campaign with 24 goals in all competitions, with 18 coming in the Premier League, making him the third-highest goalscorer that season. But his time at Old Trafford ended on a sour note after he refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham before conducting an explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
The Glazers have owned Manchester United since 2005 and they are not popular with most of the club's fanbase (Phil Duncan/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock)“The Glazers, they don't care about the club. I mean, professional sport, as you know this, Manchester is a marketing club,” Ronaldo said. “They will get its money from the marketing - the sport, it's, they don't really care, in my opinion.” Over the years, many other former United players and pundits have spoken out to criticise the Glazers.
In November 2022 they announced that they were open to selling United and were listening to offers, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani submitting takeover offers. A full sale is now off the cards with Ratcliffe set to purchase a 25 percent stake, meaning the Glazers will remain majority shareholders.
Despite the frustration with ownership and inconsistent form this season, United are currently sixth in the table after 13 games played, and four points off the top four. Alejandro Garnacho scored a sensational overhead kick as United defeated Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park on Sunday. A goal from Anthony Martial and a Marcus Rashford penalty ensured a vital victory.