Are Cristiano Ronaldo and Ralf Rangnick heading for an inevitable divorce?

Nobody answers their critics quite as savagely as Cristiano Ronaldo.

His brilliant hat-trick against Tottenham at the weekend came in the wake of rising criticism in recent weeks.

Does Ronaldo forgive his coach, Ralf Rangnick, for having lost confidence in him?

The Portuguese did not play the Manchester derby and left for his country on a trip that surprised many people.

Not only did he not play the derby against Manchester City the previous week — official reason: Injury — but he was not even at the Etihad Stadium to support his teammates, having taken an unexpected trip to Portugal.

Something strange is happening with the CR7, who did not give any kind of answer or explanation for his absence from the derby.

Since replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Rangnick does not seem to have the smoothest of relationships with the 37-year-old Ronaldo.

But to not make the bench in the derby, if rumors he was not injured are true, would suggest something more serious is going on between the coach and a player who is characterized by his relentless ambition.

Rangnick recalled him against Tottenham and out of pure frustration, it would seem, Ronaldo showed his value to the team. The epic hat-trick, his first at Old Trafford in 24 years, showed the Portuguese star at his mesmerizing best.

While Ronaldo’s confidence in his own abilities remains unshakeable, perhaps he was proving something to himself in that angry performance against Tottenham as much as he was proving his coach and critics wrong.

Ronaldo always wants to play. His voracity to win, his competitive spirit and desire to break records is what drives him, even in bad times.

Perhaps there is hint of the issue between him and Rangnick. Cristiano seems to exist in a