Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly going to go down as one of the greatest players to have ever graced a football pitch. For some, he already is. He took the Premier League, one of the most difficult domestic leagues to participate in, by the scruff of the neck.
He is the last player to play in the English top flight and lift the Ballon d’Or. After Sir Alex Ferguson’s United were crowned champions of Europe, Real Madrid came calling and offered him a new challenge – taking the record 9-time champions of Europe to the next level.
The No.7 made the move to one of the two biggest clubs in the world and established himself as one of the best there is, was, and likely to be – on and off the pitch. 2016/17 was arguably the best season that the Portuguese has had – beginning all the way from captaining a young Portugal side to Euro 2016 glory, winning the Ballon d’Or (for the 4th time), becoming the all-time highest goal-scorer in the UEFA Champions League, becoming the first ever player to score back-to-back hat-tricks in the knockout stages and to top it all off, leading Real to European glory three times in the last four years.
Then came the real problem, which set off the Spanish media ticking like a time bomb – Ronaldo’s tax evasion claims. He had allegedly €13 million worth of evaded tax, which in turn set off another unpleasant saga (unsurprisingly, not for the first time in recent history).
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The former Sporting man has had a history of fluttering his eyelashes at his former club in order to get a comfortable pay rise. The Ronaldo’s-coming-back-home (a reference to a hopeful return to Manchester United) saga is one that has new and improved episodes every summer, hence isn’t surprising by one bit. For the most part, these episodes have led to him being pacified with the best contract Real and Florentino Perez could possibly whip out, and Ronaldo firing in the customary 30-40 goals a season.
The biggest question is whether or not there is something different this time.
It is possible. After all, Paul Pogba openly stated that he was staying at Juventus three days prior to him boarding a flight to Manchester to seal a world record transfer to Old Trafford.
Money has never been a problem, and for that matter, United are probably one of two or three clubs that can match Ronaldo’s eye-watering £400,000-a-week wage bill at Real Madrid. But there a number of reasons for them to ignore the power of emotion and find other suitors for the coveted No.7 shirt at Old Trafford.
Real Madrid vs Manchester United – Two squads worlds apart
Cristiano Ronaldo presently dons the jersey of a team that have won three out of the last four Champions League tournaments. To put it simply, they have the best squad in world football, which might even be one of the best squads ever assembled. In this regard, there is no precedent apart from the financial standpoint that United’s squad can match theirs.
One of Zinedine Zidane’s greatest feats has been to make a team of eleven expensive, brilliantly talented individuals play as a singular team. Jose Mourinho’s United, on the other hand, is a star-studded team that is very much in transition. They finished 6th in the Premier League, their second lowest finish in the Premier League era. Their squad is not even comparable to that of Real Madrid’s, who not only have ‘galacticos’ in every position but able deputies to aid them.
The Portuguese marksman has the likes of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Marcelo, Karim Benzema and a host of world class talents to play alongside. United, unfortunately, do not possess the kind of players to help replicate the Madrid surroundings for Ronaldo to thrive.
Mourinho’s second season rebuild
Jose Mourinho is backed by one of the most financially powerful entities in world football. Yet, signing a 32-year-Ronaldo for a fee that would nearly be worth two times that of the present world record fee might not be a step even his compatriot would take.
Ronaldo is one of the greatest ever players to don the white of Los Blancos, and might even be regarded as the best should he retire there. If he has to be sold, Florentino Perez would not be afraid to loot any club in the world who attempts to prise away Real’s crown jewel.
To make matters worse is the former United man’s most recent contract. In October, Ronaldo penned a five-year-extension making him the highest paid player in Europe. With more than four years left on his deal, a fair financial offer is off the cards, and more importantly, the president is under no pressure to sell.
The undoubted world record fee is better off being utilised to reinforce a squad that needs plumbing in a number of areas. A world class No. 9 would help – but not at the cost of compromising quality balanced all over the pitch. Even an attempt to lure the Premier League’s best marksman, Harry Kane from the clutches of the dubious Daniel Levy would make more sense than this move.
The most important factor – Mourinho
The forward’s infamous relationship with Jose Mourinho during his time at Madrid is an open secret. As revealed in Guillem Balague’s biography of Ronaldo, the pair once “nearly came to blows” during an argument. They are two vastly egotistical figures who are as insoluble as water and oil are.
Yet, that is not the most important factor here. After Zlatan’s departure, Manchester United and Mourinho are in the market for a No.9 who can find the back of the net on a regular basis. Ronaldo fits the bill better than any player on the planet after having shone on the biggest stage of all. Yet, a lot of it had to do with the manner in which he was handed by a certain French manager.
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At the age of 32, there is only so much that even Ronaldo’s brilliant physique can take. He scored a modest 25 league goals (for Cristiano Ronaldo, of course) over the course of the season. That is because he was constantly rested and rotated by Zinedine Zidane to keep him firing on all cylinders for the Champions League and certain ‘title deciding’ matches.
Moreover, he had the likes of Alvaro Morata, Marco Asensio and a whole lot of talented reserves who can help Madrid batter opponents. Morata scored 15 league goals last season – the second highest tally for Madrid after the Portuguese himself.
United do not have that luxury. Zlatan Ibrahimovic started 27 league matches last season, his only exclusion with no real injury concerns was when Chelsea came to visit Old Trafford. Mourinho needs a player who can play week in week out and bang in 20 league goals. Again, Ronaldo can do that without much fuss – but it would be difficult to replicate his goal scoring feats without being given proper rest.
An emotional return to Old Trafford for Ronaldo’s swansong would have been nothing short of perfect on paper. But evidently, United have problems that aren’t small enough to seep through the fractures that already exist. They should, unfortunately, look elsewhere to find a new heir to their legendary No.7.
