Why United should avoid Ronaldo Reunion 19 Jun 2017 21:01

Manchester United should avoid a move for Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, for reasons other than the cost of bringing him back.

By Philip Meese, Chief Editor

As tends to happen most summers, Manchester United have been linked with buying back Old Trafford legend Cristiano Ronaldo. This will probably happen until the day he either retires or signs back on the dotted line at M16. The Portuguese forward was recently reported as wanting a move away from Real Madrid.

Naturally, this has got a lot of United fans, and even those of other clubs, excited at the prospect of seeing one of the world’s greatest ever players lighting up the Premier League once more. A closer look, however, shows that it might not be such a great idea after all.

In previous articles, (the links are posted at the bottom of this page) Ultimate United has addressed the pros and cons of a Ronaldo reunion. Since we wrote those pieces, very little has changed and, if anything, the “against” column has gotten slightly larger.

It could tarnish his Legendary Status at Old Trafford

Many United fans who began following the Red Devils within the last thirty years will state that no finer footballer has played for the club in modern era. Given what the Portuguese superstar achieved during his time at Old Trafford, it is difficult to argue with that assessment. There are only a handful that come anywhere close.

The three Premier League titles United won between 2007 & 2009 would not have happened without him. In all likelihood, neither would the Champions League in Moscow. Eight years after his departure, visit any pub around the ground on a match day and they will still be singing about him running down the wing.

Ronaldo has lost a yard of pace over the last eighteen months or so, although he is still quicker than most. This has seen him modify his game, and take up a more central role, playing more like a striker than the free role he’s enjoyed most of his career. Despite how well Ronaldo looks after himself, he will probably continue to lose that pace over the coming years. He certainly won’t get that lost yard back.

The Premier League has changed so much over the last few years, that there is no guarantee that Ronaldo will come in and pick up where he left off. In 2009 he used to control games, now he usually just finishes them off. Basically, he isn’t the same player as when he left, and against Premier League defences, he won’t get half of the space he is afforded in La Liga.

Any transfer involving Ronaldo coming back to Old Trafford will involves a world record fee. With that comes expectation, just ask Paul Pogba. If he isn’t hitting two and three goals every week, like he seems to in Spain, people will say he’s a waste of money.

At this moment in time, Ronaldo can do not wrong in the eyes of most United fans. If he moves back to United, as it doesn’t go as planned you know what will happen. Fans will look back and say “Ronaldo, yeah, he was awesome first time around. Waste of money the second time.” If he avoids an Old Trafford return, he will forever remain a legend, whose legacy is untouchable.

Would Mourinho even want him?

Much like last summer, when Eric Bailly was recruited, José Mourinho has acted quickly in the transfer market. Swedish defender Victor Lindelöf was recruited from Benfica earlier this month, seemingly on a list of players the Portuguese manager handed to Ed Woodward months ago. More are expected to follow, and even though no new signings have followed Lindelöf, it’s probably safe to assume they are on the horizon. These negotiations always take time, as items such as image rights and agents fees hold up the deal as much as the haggling over the transfer fee itself.

It is hard to imagine that when Mourinho handed that list to Woodward, there was any mention of his fellow countryman. For one thing, the story about him apparently wanting to leave has only just broken in the last few days. Another factor to consider is that when they were together at Real Madrid, they famously fell out with each other. There doesn’t appear to any mention of them kissing and making up since then.

Signings such as Lindelöf and Bailly would seem to show Mourinho’s intentions. He wants to build a young side from the ground up, with a few experienced players in the set up to guide them. As great a player as Ronaldo is, his signing would most likely alter those plans, with no guarantee he would be a success.

Building a team is not something he’s been afforded the time to do at previous clubs, where instant success is all they are interested in. It is possible that this is one of the reasons Mourinho fell in love with the idea of managing United in the first place; the chance to build an empire, rather than maintain a kingdom.

Mourinho has got a history of winning trophies wherever he has been, and after last season can now add United to that list. He knows what he wants for his team going forward, and if Ronaldo isn’t part of those plans, United fans should trust his judgement.

The Root of all Evil

From United’s perspective, this would not be a problem. The €1 billion release clause, inserted into his contract in 2015, is reportedly invalid after the player reaches a certain age. It would still take a world record transfer fee, possibly approaching £175 million, they would likely make that back in merchandising before the end of next season.

United already make more profit than anyone else, and Ronaldo’s signing would boost that to stratospheric levels. The likely departure of Wayne Rooney this summer, as well as the release of Zlatan Ibrahimovi?, would free up enough room on the payroll to cover Ronaldo’s salary. If United did bring Ronaldo back to Old Trafford, there would be little risk to them from a financial point of view, given how much the club would make back.

Money, however, does seem to be the logic behind him wanting to leave the Bernabéu. The problem seems to be that he is unhappy with the lack of support shown by Real Madrid with respect to a huge tax bill he has been lumbered with. When Lionel Messi first faced similar problems at Barcelona, the Catalan giants helped the Argentine out massively, and Ronaldo apparently doesn’t feel he is being afforded the same level of assistance.

There is also the possibility that, despite having recently signed a new contract, he is trying to engineer a better one. At 32 years old, and having just won them another Champions League title, he won’t have too many more opportunities to demand better terms. He wouldn’t be the first Real Madrid player to use interest from Old Trafford to secure himself a better deal.

Anything Positive to Say?

Of course, there are positives to bringing Ronaldo back to United. He is still a better footballer than anyone in the Premier League, many would say the world. Given that he does tend to play more centrally now, it would probably solve the striker problem United currently have. He is still quicker than most, if not all, of the centre forwards that have been linked to Old Trafford. It’s easy to imagine that many of the chances people like Pogba created last season wouldn’t have gone to waste if Ronaldo had been running onto them. With that in mind, it is hard to imagine that too many home draws with teams like Stoke, Burnley and Bournemouth would have taken place.

Give the lift that Ibrahimovi? gave the team last season, imagine what walking out onto the Old Trafford turf would do for players like Rashford and Martial. Not only a living, breathing football legend but a multiple Ballon d’Or winner. It is likely that everyone would raise their game just so they didn’t let him down. Team mates of Roy Keane used to think like that, although a lot of that was partly through fear.

It would also be good for the player as well, to play somewhere he is loved by the fans, at a club he has made no secret of his affection for. At Madrid, even Ronaldo is often classed as nothing more than a name and number, and booed if he only scores one goal in a game. That’s how they treat their all-time top scorer. At United, the fans (the real ones, at least) just want to see players try their hardest in the shirt.

Final Thought

The possibility of a Ronaldo return will always divide opinion, as there will always be arguments for and against it. But as the years advance, the reasons for not signing him are only going to increase. As incredible a player, and athlete, as Ronaldo is, surely he can only maintain that level of fitness for so long.

Look at it this way, think of the abuse Paul Pogba has suffered at the hands of rival fans (and his own, sometimes) this season. Some of it was justified, some of it was downright ludicrous. But he is a 24 year old who has the best years of his career ahead of him, and whose transfer fee won’t look so big in a few years’ time.

If Ronaldo does return, and he flops, think of the laughs those fans are going to have then. Personally, give his current status at Old Trafford, I wouldn’t want to give them that satisfaction.

Re-sign Ronny Yea or Nay? Published July 25^th 2015

Ronaldo Return – The Saga Continues Published November 24^th 2015