Twelve years after leaving Old Trafford as the most expensive player in the history of football, Cristiano Ronaldo will return to Manchester United in the later stage of his career, as one of the greatest name in the history of the game.
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 29: Manchester United fans hold up a life size cut out of Cristiano Ronaldo during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United at Molineux on August 29, 2021 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
For £80m, Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid looking to build on his achievements with United. It was a successful journey for the former Sporting Lisbon youth player, who had left Spain for Italy in 2018.
Four more Ballon d’ors, four more Champions League titles, four more league titles and countless of other individual and team accolades under his belt, while has also recorded international success with the Portuguese national team, winning the Euros in 2016, and the UEFA Nations league in 2019.
He has also become the top scorer in the history of football, international football, Real Madrid, UEFA Champions League, European Championship and other competitions including the European world cup qualifiers.
Since leaving Manchester United, Ronaldo’s game has evolved over the years and he is now more of a striker, rather than the quick feet dribbler and the pacy winger that left the Theatre of dreams over a decade ago.
He has played 572 club games at both Real Madrid and Juventus, scoring 551 goals and registering154 assists. He is now more of a Goalscorer, who sees his only contribution to play as scoring goals.
Coming back to a Manchester United side, that has not win a trophy in the past four seasons is a big decision from the 37 year old, given the intensity of the Premier league, no one of his age will be moving to a league, hoping to remain at the top of their game.
Manchester City were believed to be his destination until the last minute when he made the U-turn and decides to reunite with United instead.
However, as much as Manchester United faithfuls know they won’t be having the best version of Cristiano, they should be really excited of the impact his being on the books will have at Old Trafford in the new two years.
What To Expect ?
Manchester United have a great team but are lacking in some areas, if you want Cristiano in your team, you have to add the best available players in the transfer market to strengthen your side and be more competitive.
You should expect United to sign players to increase in squad depth, and upgrade in some departments of the midfield, where there seem to be shortage of quality for the club.
A clinical finisher both on ground and on air, Cristiano Ronaldo can help get the best out of United’s playmakers like Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho. He can also help Luke Shaw increase his goal involvements by converting from his delivery.
His good positioning will also make him a handful for Premier league defenders, who will be relishing the prospect of playing with one of those regarded as the greatest of all time.
His arrival also means some Manchester United fringe players may lose their spots in the team. Starting from Aaron Wan-Bissaka, the Englishman will be tasked to improve in his deliveries if he wants to keep his place in the team.
For Anthony Martial who hasn’t been really convincing lately, it could be more devastating for him as he now has more players ahead of him in the pecking order. On the bright side, he and other young attackers at the club like Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and others could learn a lot from the best.
While the younger prospects can go out on loan for further development till they are ready for regular first team football, Ronaldo provides Manchester United with the best quality they can get, comes for less and one well known to the system.
His arrival means the club’s stock has risen than where it was, meaning their chances of winning a first Premier league title post Sir Alex Ferguson receives a boost, and Ronaldo will see this as another challenge to conquer.
The pressure on Ole Gunner Solskjær also gets bigger. Trophies must be delivered and errors might not be forgiven, midway through the season, because in the Premier league, every missed opportunity will count against at the end of the season.
Ronaldo’s arrival could finally fulfill the dream team the Manchester United faithfuls have envisioned, and the atmosphere around the club will be a positive one, once the man himself starts doing his things for the Red devil’s.
Afolabi Kehinde Hassan
