It seems James Nesbitt has left behind Ed Woodward, the executive vice-chairman of Manchester United, in trying to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to the Theater of Dreams. Nesbitt happens to be an actor, presenter and comedian from Northern Ireland who hosted the Ballon d’Or gala in Zurich alongside Kate Abdo.
The actor is also apparently a Manchester United fan and while interviewing Ronaldo at the ceremony he directly asked him, “Please come back to Manchester United?!”
One can safely assume that was not part of the script. To everyone’s surprise “No” was not the answer that came from the ex-United No. 7. The Portuguese smirked and refrained from commenting to the question.
Some recent reports suggested that Ronaldo might be considering a move back to United. However, the 31-year-old’s agent Jorge Mendes ruled out all possibilities of the forward returning to Old Trafford and said that he wants to spend the rest of his footballing career in Madrid.
The Portugal-born player also ruled out a possible career in management once he retires from the game. Nonetheless, Ronaldo has always been transparent about his love for Manchester United and has several times referred to Sir Alex Ferguson as a father figure.
Ronaldo convinced Di Maria to join United
It is also known that Ronaldo’s advice had been instrumental in Angel Di Maria’s move to Manchester United. The three-time Ballon d’Or winner had apparently told Di Maria that if there is any club that the Argentine should choose after Madrid, it must be United.
"At that time, we didn’t know for sure that I was coming or not, so we didn’t go into great detail, but what he did say helped me greatly to make my decision.
“It was a very big moment in my career. Leaving a club like Real and coming to as big a club as Manchester United makes you grow as a player and helps you progress in your career.
"It was a very important moment and I’m really happy here. Let’s hope things go well for me so I can be here for many years," Di Maria said after his move to United.
With Van Gaal in need of pacey wingers who can lend speed, width and creativity to the recently stuttering United side, the addition of someone like Ronaldo can be of huge help.
