Cristiano Ronaldo showed off a new collaborative line of watches on Instagram on Tuesday created in partnership with luxury watch brand Jacob & Co. While the new Jacob & Co x CR7 models are quite special thanks to their unique designs, the collection attracted the attention for a completely different reason. The fans are convinced that the Portuguese soccer superstar took one final swipe at Manchester United before leaving the club. Confused? Let me explain. If you look closely at one of the watches, the dial carries a design that depicts a goal he scored against United for Real Madrid in the Champions League back in 2013. Ouch, that’s got to sting!
The Jacob & Co x CR7 collection with its MunU trolling dial design comes a week after Ronaldo’s controversial interview in which he slammed the club, its owners, players, and manager, which jeopardized his second spell with the iconic soccer club. He criticized the club saying only three of his teammates were “professional,” and he was being “forced” out of the club despite his efforts to leave in the summer. The explosive interview with Piers Morgan immediately put his future at Old Trafford in huge doubt; however, the soccer star found another way to rile up the club’s management and its players by showing off the watch collection. Interestingly, an announcement confirming Ronaldo’s departure from Manchester United came just a few hours later. “Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect,” the club said in the official statement. “The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances, and wishes him and his family well for the future.”
The Jacob & Co x CR7 collection has four models, with two of them encrusted with diamonds, and has a starting price close to $125,000. “I’m excited to announce my partnership with Jacob and co, one of the leading watch brands in the world,” the former Real star wrote on Instagram. “Today, we reveal our first watch collection that I co-designed with my dear friend Jacob Arabo.”