The problem that anyone who signs Cristiano Ronaldo has is that, no matter how big the club is, it immediately becomes Ronaldo’s club. Wednesday should have been around Manchester UnitedA very impressive performance in the 2-0 win over Spurs, his best under Erik ten Hag and arguably the most encouraging performance since those counter-attacks in the early days under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. But instead, the headlines were, once again, about Ronaldo.
The 37-year-old refused to come off the bench with United 2-0. When Christian Eriksen and Anthony Ilanga were brought in after 87 minutes, Ronaldo could be seen standing against the wall of Old Trafford’s bunker. Two minutes later, he walked over the touchline, went down the tunnel and left the field before the final whistle blew. After being disciplined by Manchester United on Thursday, Ronaldo took to Instagram.
“I try to live and play with respect towards my colleagues, opponents and coach,” Ronaldo said in a statement. “That has not changed. I did not change. I am the same person and professional that I have been for the past 20 years playing football, and respect has always played a very important role in the decision-making process. …Unfortunately, this is not always possible and sometimes the heat of the moment beats us.”
As apologies go, that was on the pathetic side of lukewarm. What was this moment of heat? Do you see his teammates playing better without him? Realizing that, no matter how wide his ego was, it had become a burden? This wasn’t a player criticizing after a bad foul; It was the temperament of a person so immature and indulged that he couldn’t handle his own style. There is, at least, an admission that he acted disrespectfully, even if he didn’t seem sorry about it.
Ronaldo has done this before. He did so at Juventus in 2019 after replacing Maurizio Sarri for the second time in a week. He did so in the summer, leaving at halftime of a friendly match against Rayo Vallecano. Tin Hag called it “unacceptable” and took a strong stand this time as well. Ronaldo has been sent to training apart from the rest of the squad, and will not be part of the traveling squad for Saturday’s game at Chelsea.
“I’m the manager, I’m responsible for the best sporting culture here and I have to set standards and values, and I have to control them. We’re on a team,” Ten Hag said on Friday. After Rayo Vallecano I said this is unacceptable, but he was not the only one. This is for everyone. When this is the second time it will have consequences. This is what we did now. We’ll miss him tomorrow, it’s a miss for the team, but I think it’s important for the behavior and mentality of the group.”
Ronaldo concluded his statement by vowing to “continue to work hard at Carrington, support my teammates and prepare for everything in any match. Giving in to pressure is not an option. It was not. This is Manchester United and united we must stand. Soon we will be together again.” But it may not be that simple. What does Ten Hag gain from the continued existence of such vandalism?
Of course, the coach’s hand was strengthened by the fact that his team played very well against Tottenham. United are now clearly a better team without Ronaldo in it, and geniuses are only getting away with that. It appears that even Ronaldo’s former United teammates have turned against him over this. Empathy has shifted from the star to the team.
So what will happen next? United have been open to selling Ronaldo since the summer. Ten Hag was initially keen to work with him but changed his mind after the modest 4-0 defeat to Brentford. Ronaldo has started only two league games this season. But the problem is that there are no takers. The only offer United got in the summer came from Saudi Arabia, but Ronaldo was adamant that he would only leave for the Champions League team. No one who could afford it was interested.
And cost is a big problem. Ronaldo is estimated at around $600,000 a week. If United want to offload him, they will probably have to either pay off a large portion of his remaining contract, which runs until June next year, or subsidize his salary. But what value is there now in a superstar whose allure is so affected by fame that it destabilizes any institution of which he is a part? It has been very evident how younger United players thrive when Ronaldo is not on the field, able to express themselves rather than serve his ego. No serious club would want it, even if someone were tempted by social media engagements, reflexology would do it.
On one occasion, Ronaldo could be forgiven for indulging himself for what he brought on the pitch. But as his wave of talent fades away, what remains is a brutal, expensive arrogance. Tin Hag showed great determination to confront him; Now, he should just want to get rid of him completely.
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