Where does one go who broods over his future while the world goes on? Cristiano Ronaldo has recently tried to answer this question for himself and he has come to a clear conclusion: at least not to Thailand, where his employer Manchester United is currently on a promotional tour. While his club is touring through Asia and then even to Australia, the former world footballer has apparently ended up home.
According to reports, Ronaldo’s Rolls Royce recently parked at home in Lisbon in front of the Portuguese national team’s training center, because of “family reasons” the father of five refrains from business trips – but when someone like him retires in the middle of the pre-season, there are of course murmurs in the industry. Is he sulking? does he stop fuels his Longing one last adventure on previously unconquered terrain?
After a stale year at United, in which he performed rather earthly for his standards (only 18 league goals), Ronaldo seems to have started to ponder. According to reports in the English media, at the age of 37 he will find it difficult to make friends with playing in the prairie of the Europa League next season. Added to this are United’s all-too-subtle attempts on the transfer market. While the competition has already brought in attractions such as Raheem Sterling (to Chelsea), Darwin Núñez (to Liverpool) and Erling Haaland (to ManCity), the only acquisition at Manchester so far is Tyrell Malacia, a defender from Feyenoord.
Ronaldo was apparently also offered to FC Bayern
The magazine The Athletic presented the situation as follows: Ronaldo’s return to Manchester, the starting point of his heroic journey, intended as a sweetheart, is over before it really gets going. His agent Jorge Mendes told the club that “if he gets a suitable offer, he wants to leave”. Of course, this representation only reflects the situation one-sidedly, because in truth the Ronaldo side is probably actively exploring the market itself. The striker was apparently also offered to Bayern Munich, which the Munich team frowned on. “As much as I value Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the greatest, a transfer would not fit into our philosophy,” said CEO Oliver Kahn Kicker.
This statement leads to the core of the personality, because the question arises as to which philosophy Ronaldo still fits. Because time does not stop at an athlete like him, he is no longer someone who does everything alone. As the past year has shown, the Portuguese only delivers his goals in the late phase of his career at a high price: he works when the entire team is geared towards him, when, for example, his extensive refusal to participate in pressing is accepted. United’s caretaker manager Ralf Rangnick, who has often denounced Ronaldo’s free-thinking, experienced the same thing recently.
So what to do with someone whose understanding of their role has become a problem? Maybe nowhere. Because in Manchester they seem determined to keep their most famous squad piece. Both the new club boss Richard Arnold and the newly started coach Erik ten Hag recently chose the path of sensitive de-escalation. The club allowed Ronaldo to stay away from the start of training, and ten Hag then dared a charm offensive at the start of the week.
—Cone display in Bangkok’s Rajamangala National Stadium: Erik ten Hag is now training Manchester United – and has to see that Ronaldo stays with him.
(Photo: Chalinee Thirasupa / Reuters)
—
“We’re planning with Cristiano this season and that’s it,” he said at a press conference, “I’m looking forward to working with him.” United is trying to refute rumors about Ronaldo leaving for Naples, Chelsea or a kind of all-star team from Paris Saint-Germain (alongside Messi, Neymar and Mbappé). Ten Hag had had a “really good conversation” with Ronaldo before his thoughts on leaving became known, and his dissatisfaction was not an issue there. For him it is clear: “Cristiano is not for sale, he is part of our plans and we want to be successful together.”
In order to underpin the efforts and finally provide Ronaldo with a capable team again, they now want to get things moving in terms of transfers. After Paul Pogba’s departure to Juventus, which was confirmed at the beginning of the week, the United management is said to be negotiating a change from Frenkie de Jong in Barcelona. The problem: the Dutchman does not want to leave Barça. And it is questionable whether the purchases of Dane Christian Eriksen (Brentford) and Argentinian Lisandro Martínez (Ajax) planned by United will be sufficient reinforcements. Cristiano Ronaldo may have his doubts.
–
