Football fans are used to outlandish transfer news and rumours every summer and Cristiano Ronaldo’s possible departure from Real Madrid could well be the saga that grabs headlines over the next couple of months. That one of the sport’s biggest superstar and reigning Best Player of the world wants to leave the club where he has found tremendous success is a story that will have Madridistas sweating.
Elsewhere, though, specifically in Manchester, fans are salivating at the prospect of reuniting with their long-lost son. Memes have already popped up with United set to ‘end their loan deal’ and ‘bring Ronaldo home’ to Old Trafford. It would be the signing to break all transfer records. But will it come to pass?
Is Ronaldo the right signing for Manchester United? We contemplate the pros and cons of such a transfer.
Pro: Manchester United are getting the best goalscorer in the world
There are no two ways about this. What you see is what you get with Ronaldo. Goals, goals and more goals. Consider this; the 2016/17 season was the first time since 2010 where Ronaldo did not score at least 50 goals. The Portuguese forward ended the season with only 42 goals. But if you consider his goals for Portugal as well, he has 56.
In stark contrast, the highest goalscorer at Manchester United in 2016/17 was Zlatan Ibrahimovic (28 goals). A 35-year-old striker who did not feature in the final leg of the season due to a season-ending knee injury.
United desperately need goals. Among the top seven clubs in the Premier League, the Red Devils scored the least number of goals (54). Compare that with the top five clubs that scored between 77 and 85 goals, Jose Mourinho knows it is something he needs to address. Even Bournemouth scored more goals that United (55).
Should he sign for United, the club will be getting the Champions League’s record goalscorer and the competition’s top goalscorer in each of the last five seasons. As the club return to Europe’s premier cup competition, who better to pin their hopes on?
Also read: All the records held by Cristiano Ronaldo
Con: Ronaldo could cost United more than just silly money
If various reports are to be believed, United could add David De Gea to sweeten the deal. According to the back pages of one of UK’s popular newspapers, the club are willing to part with £175m and De Gea to fund Ronaldo’s ticket back to Old Trafford.
That is possibly one of the most ludicrous deals of all time. Especially when the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) valued him at €112.4m based on various factors.
We all know De Gea planned to return to La Liga in 2015 with a deal agreed with Real Madrid before a massive clusterf*** of epic proportions saw Real miss the transfer deadline and their chance to sign the Spanish goalkeeper.
Letting De Gea go in the other direction as part of the deal makes sense but not if the club is ready to part with £175m as well. Yes, Ronaldo has a €1 billion release clause in his contract but if he is intent on leaving, the club will not stand in his way and will look to make a good profit on the £80m transfer fee they paid back in 2009 for his services.
Breaking the transfer record makes sense (in a wicked world where football transfer fees has spiralled out of control) but to add De Gea to that deal probably sees Ronaldo’s transfer fee effectively more than £200m. De Gea would easily break the record transfer fee for a goalkeeper (currently held by Manchester City signing Ederson at £35m), so including him in the deal should actually reduce Ronaldo’s transfer value.
Why not buy someone like Neymar or Harry Kane if the club is ready to part with that kind of money?
Pro: Ronaldo is the perfect personality to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic
When Ronaldo first arrived in England, he was a teenager who was a bit wet behind the ears and had a questionable hairstyle inspired by a badly made spaghetti dish. However, he soon allowed his football to do the talking and that is what he is judged on now.
After eight years in Madrid, Ronaldo is now one of the senior most members of the squad. He can no longer afford to be a petulant brat if things don’t go his way. He also wears the captain’s armband for Portugal.
With Wayne Rooney’s influence diminishing both on and off the pitch, United were crying out for a true leader and Mourinho knew exactly what he was doing when he brought Ibrahimovic on a free transfer – a coup that saw United win two major trophies.
The 35-year-old Swedish striker showed that age was just a number as he played in every competition without much rest while Rooney rotted away on the sidelines. Ronaldo is a similar player. At 32, he is the oldest player on the list of Top 100 players with the highest Estimated Transfer Value.
His fitness levels are at par with the world’s greatest athletes and it would only push the rest of the squad to look after their bodies and try to match both his physique and fitness levels (’try’ being the operating word here).
With Ibrahimovic no longer in the picture after he was released, Ronaldo would be the ideal man to take up the mantle.
Con: Does it make sense spending so much for 2-3 years of peak level performances?
Ibrahimovic’s predicament was a lesson to Manchester United. The Swedish journeyman may have had a relatively injury-free career that was punctuated only by minor niggles and strains but all it takes is one second to end a season.
Unfortunately for Ibrahimovic, it occurred when he hadn’t yet exercised his option to extend his 12-month contract. Now, he is without a club and weekly wages as he recovers from the knee injury. The earliest he can return to the pitch is late 2017.
United were lucky they signed Ibrahimovic on a free transfer (which had more to do with Mourinho convincing him rather than United being the ideal destination last summer). It won’t be the same case with Ronaldo.
While his fitness levels are beyond compare, the hustle-bustle of the Premier League has seen careers shortened for players who peaked early in their careers. Just ask Rooney or Michael Owen. The only player who managed to extend his career was the evergreen Ryan Giggs.
His ACL injury following a collision in the Euro 2016 final should be a stark reminder that things don’t always go according to plan.
Pro: Manchester United’s valuation could go through the roof
A move for Ronaldo to Manchester United would make the club’s marketing team and sponsors rub their hands in glee. It would see the club’s stock skyrocket while also improving its own ranking among the top clubs in Europe.
However, this would spell bad news for Real Madrid. According to Forbes’ Sports money Index, Real Madrid rank fourth but Ronaldo ranks sixth! That is how successful Ronaldo as a brand is. It makes sense that both Real and Ronaldo profit from each other. The only other player Real can sign and stay among the top dogs is Lionel Messi – out of the question.
Forbes also claims that a move to Manchester United would ensure he stays in sixth spot. This is, of course, thanks to United’s own reach and brand potential. The Premier League is consumed by more fans compared to La Liga and has a higher reach.
And imagine the number of shirts Ronaldo would sell. His old no.7 shirt currently lies vacant and nobody since his departure has done justice to that shirt. The CR7 brand would only grow and even Adidas (United's kit partners) would benefit even though Ronaldo is a Nike athlete – just as they do at Real by selling Ronaldo shirts at the Bernabeu and worldwide.
Con: Ronaldo’s arrival could hinder the progress of Rashford and Martial (possible pro?)
Ronaldo is no longer the winger who tore apart Premier League defences in his early 20s. He no longer runs up and down the flank and relies on his teammates to bring the ball to him in advanced positions.
His role has evolved into that of a hybrid wide/centre forward who operates in the box. It’s not ideal but it is effective due to his sharpness in front of goal and a penchant for regularly finding the back of the net.
With Marcus Rashford breaking into the team, he may be reduced to playing a bit-part role once again if Ronaldo arrives. After a stellar debut season (more like half a season), the young Englishman failed to find that same prolific form under Mourinho as Ibrahimovic stole the headlines.
As for Anthony Martial, Ronaldo’s arrival could see United cut their losses and move him on to another club. Mourinho has never hidden his true feelings for Martial’s contributions and has publicly challenged him in the press to work harder to suit the Portuguese manager’s needs.
Martial will effectively be in the same dilemma as Danny Welbeck when the club signed Radamel Falcao. Welbeck, a homegrown player and United through and through, moved on and joined Arsenal much to United fans’ disappointment. They will not have the same feelings for Martial, though.
Verdict?
Manchester United have shown in recent years that money is not a factor. They first smashed the Premier League record to sign Angel Di Maria for £59.7m in 2014 before eclipsing the world record fee to sign Paul Pogba for £89.3m last summer. With commercial deals ranging from cars to cup noodles, the club hierarchy would not flinch to break the record once again thanks to a revenue stream that makes it possible.
Ronaldo may not have a resale value and it could be the last big contract of his career (unless the Chinese Super League bubble refuses to burst). But as Real have shown, a high transfer fee is an investment that gives numerous trophies in return.
If Ronaldo can work with Mourinho again (as they did at Real Madrid despite their many differences and squabbles), the league title is a serious possibility while Champions League success would need some more investment in the squad.
The Premier League has not had a world class superstar since his departure with La Liga taking all the spoils – be it the Ballon d’Or or World Team of the Year. Ronaldo’s return could change that.
As long as money is not a factor, there should be no reason why United should not sign Ronaldo.
