Cristiano Ronaldo is a superstar, who learnt the tricks of the trade in Manchester United from 2003 to 2009. He is aware that his popularity transcends the football pitch. The Portuguese striker brings charisma to the turf. But his second stint at United didn't go as planned. The acrimonious exit earlier this week is stats-driven—the team fares better and covers more ground without Ronaldo—but it also raises questions about the club's player management skills or the lack of them.
Buying a 36-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo for £12.9 million plus a further £6.9 million as add-ons was a debatable call by United in 2021. The decision seemed to have been taken more out of pride and emotion than practicality. Sir Alex Ferguson advised him to wear the red jersey after 12 years. Not many clubs, especially the ones that have been struggling for the past few seasons, would opt for an old horse to drive the side. The ideal solution is to scout youngsters who could be more agile and serve the club for at least five years.
United did not chase Ronaldo, but rival club Manchester City did. The Reds walked in at the last minute to snatch the five-time Ballon d'Or award winner from Pep Guardiola's glare. The move turned heads on social media as Ronaldo is the only sportsperson with 500 million followers on Instagram. It did not improve the club's consistency in the English Premier League as they finished sixth in 2021-22.
The cracks from 2021-22
Ronaldo did not have enough support from the midfield and wings, though he scored 24 goals and kept United afloat in the Champions League. Their mediocre returns in the Premier League led to the ouster of coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. It was all fine under a temporary manager in Michael Carrick.
The cracks started to appear in the latter half of the last season under Ralf Rangnick, who believed in the high-pressing style of play and did not consider the striker to be a "pressing monster".
Dutchman Erik Ten Hag was appointed coach for the 2022-23 season. The new manager arrived with a mission, and a vision and Ronaldo was not part of his plans as he missed the pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia due to family reasons.
Although Ronaldo appeared on the pitch for 45 minutes during the friendly against Rayo Vallecano, he left Old Trafford, along with a few teammates, before the end of the 1-1 draw, and that was not "acceptable" to Erik. The coach reiterated in the news conferences that Ronaldo's lack of minutes in the ongoing season is because of fitness issues.
Marcus Rashford is trying to establish his spot in the United attack line, with support from wingers Jadon Sancho and Antony, who arrived from Ajax, and found the net thrice in Ronaldo's absence.
The exit door
Ronaldo's refusal to come on as a substitute in the game against Tottenham Hotspur invited rough waters. He was suspended by the club for disciplinary reasons as he stormed down the tunnel. Even after serving the suspension, he remained a notable absentee in the Carabao Cup victory over Aston Villa and the 2-1 win against Fulham.
A few days later, his explosive comments about the club in an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan shook the football fraternity. "Manchester United made zero progress. Real Madrid and Juventus followed recent technologies and infrastructures. They always tried to progress even in terms of training, nutrition and how to recover from games. Man United is behind clubs like those.
"I don't have respect for him [Erik] because he doesn't show respect for me. If you don't have respect for me, I'm never gonna have respect for you," said the Portugal captain, who is currently in Qatar for the FIFA World Cup 2022.
United without Ronaldo
Without Ronaldo, United seems to be breaking into the opposition faster, scoring the expected goals with more shots on target and at least 10 crosses per game.
In his presence, the team fired around two or three crosses into the box to find their hero.
United had been covering less ground with Ronaldo in the mix. The 0-4 loss to Brentford saw the Red Devils cover 95.5 km collectively; only Fulham and Crystal Palace have run less than that in the season. Brentford ran 13.8 km more than the seasoned United.
Ronaldo clocked 72 minutes with 7.3 km covered in the goalless draw with Newcastle. It was their second-lowest distance of the season at 101.5 km. On average, the team has covered 107.5 km without Ronaldo and 103 km with him.
However, the champion striker started as a free agent in the World Cup after many years. He appeared on the scoresheet in the opening game as Portugal beat Ghana 3-2 and celebrated in front of a Lionel Messi image from the advertising hoardings. Clubs and the petty transfer issues seemed insignificant at that moment.
No matter how much one criticises Ronaldo, he will remain one of those players who will force the fans to buy tickets to watch him in action, but perhaps not for United, which needs fresh legs.
“I am a fruit people want to bite. Let’s say a strawberry!" Ronaldo's infectious quote to Morgan portrays the mind of an entertainer.
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