It was supposed to be the dream hire. On 27 August 2021, Manchester United announced on Twitter: “Welcome to your home Cristiano”. Almost a year ago, I wrote in this same column about Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to the club.
The love was reciprocal. CR7 said he was going back to where he belonged, talked about winning titles, there was the impression that he could end his career in England. Less than a year later, the relationship soured. The Portuguese ace seems determined to leave, even with a year on his contract to go, but he is in a situation until recently unimaginable for the five times better in the world: clubs don’t want him.
Ronaldo has not said publicly, but the reason seems clear: he wants to leave United to try to play in the Champions League for the 20th time in a row, something he won’t be able to do if he stays in Manchester. The club finished sixth in the Premier League with 16 wins, 10 draws and 12 defeats and only qualified for the Europa League.
He did not travel with the team to the pre-season in Thailand and Australia, pointing out personal reasons – remembering that, in April, he lost one of his twins during the delivery of his wife, Georgina. The club accepted and understood.
Questioned by journalists several times, the new coach, Erik ten Hag, repeats the speech while training the team without him: “Cristiano Ronaldo is not for sale”. Last week, while United were playing a friendly, the Portuguese posted a shirtless photo, alone, for his 471 million followers on Instagram.
Speculations and investigations began. There was talk of Bayern Munich, Chelsea, PSG, Napoli. Nothing happened. Or that he could play under Diego Simeone at Atlético de Madrid, but the club’s president himself has denied it, and there is resistance from fans who don’t want someone who played for rivals Real Madrid for years. A proposal to defend a team from Saudi Arabia and even a return to Sporting, the first professional club in his career, would also be possibilities.
The talent and dedication of the ace are unquestionable. United’s top scorer last season, with 24 goals in the Premier League and Champions League, is extremely professional, an example for his teammates, and the CR7 brand attracts for its financial return. But the point is that all this comes with a complicated package for most clubs: weekly salary of around £450,000 or more than R$3 million; changes a coach needs to make for the team to adapt to the player; and the fact that he is 37 years old.
The 2022/23 Premier League season starts next week, and United face Brighton on 7 August. So far, CR7 has not been seen training with the group, and the time to look for something outside of Old Trafford is running out.
This means that in the next few days, or even hours, there needs to be a definition. During the last season, the English press tried, without success, to reach a consensus on whether the Portuguese signing was more of a bonus or a burden, bearing in mind, of course, that the club had its own problems. If Cristiano Ronaldo does leave, there will be a lot of people wondering if, in the end, it will have been better for United.
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