This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on July 25, 2022 - July 31, 2022
From prodigal son to prima donna? Cristiano Ronaldo’s internet-breaking return failed to transform Manchester United last season despite his 18 Premier League (EPL) goals. But he might have inadvertently sparked a turnaround this time — by throwing his toys out of the pram.
Three weeks have passed since the 37-year-old Portuguese stunned the club by saying he wanted to leave. The news was deemed at best a “nightmare” — especially for new manager Erik ten Hag — and at worst “taking them into basket-case territory”. It was a curve ball that could have struck out an entire season.
But Dutchman Ten Hag did not panic and quietly went about honing his squad to general approval. Two games have been won on tour, the spirit is good, and new recruits are arriving. Meanwhile, the handful of suitors for wantaway Ronaldo have shied away and the player is still — at the time of writing — on the payroll.
If he does stay — and the signs are that he may have to — it will mark a paradigm shift in the balance of power at Old Trafford and perhaps beyond. Given the global fan bases of both parties — and the increasing trend to follow individuals over clubs — the standoff is being keenly observed. It might be one occasion that a megastar doesn’t get his way.
After being caught like a rabbit in the headlights, United insisted that he was not for sale and has a year left on his contract. Ten Hag said he was in his plans and this firm stance, coupled with the progress made in his tough training sessions, have seen his authority strengthened. Absent throughout for “family reasons”, Ronaldo has seen his position irrevocably weakened. And Ten Hag should now have no compunction about using him more sparingly regardless of the inevitable sulk.
Last year, CR7’s arrival sent the share price soaring by 10%, adding £212 million to the club’s value. At Juventus, he sold 1.3 million shirts and by urging people to drink water at the Euros, he wiped £4 billion off Coca-Cola’s value. For all his influence, his personal stock will have fallen.
Another issue is the reception he will receive in the dressing room and the stands. In both, it’s likely to be conspicuously less rapturous than a year ago. But with a well-crafted apology, his position may not be untenable although the Golden Boy will have lost some of his lustre. Wanting to leave the club he called “home” smacked of betrayal, but it was the timing that hurt most.
Ten Hag had only just arrived, the team was about to leave for a pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia and there was little time to find a replacement for the coming campaign, let alone his seat on the plane.
Besides, Ronaldo had known since April that he would be slumming it in the Europa League on the dreaded Thursday/Sunday roster. Even some of his 330 million Instagram followers felt let down. “If he wanted to leave, why not say so earlier?” was the gist. At least then, United could have looked for an alternative.
But the likes of Erling Haaland, Darwin Núñez, Robert Lewandowski and Richarlison were snapped up by rivals with nary a glance from Old Trafford. Ronaldo said he was happy and even endorsed the underwhelming appointment of Ten Hag. To change his mind in July was inexplicable.
Perhaps he’d been hoping for stellar signings. Or maybe he didn’t like the emphasis the former Ajax boss was putting on pressing. Whatever it was, he came across as a poor little rich boy — denied the opportunity to enhance his legacy in the Champions League.
It was all the more surprising as he had moved seamlessly between Europe’s elite clubs: United-Real Madrid-Juventus-United were all carefully choreographed by the game’s leading agent, Jorge Mendes, his adviser. Both men will have been aware that a salary of £490,000 a week limits his options to a handful of super clubs. But one by one they politely declined.
Ronaldo’s problem is not just his wage, on which he has agreed to take a cut if it helps with a move, but his lack of mobility. He may be super-fit for 37 and super-sharp in front of goal, but he does little else but score. And in the modern pressing game, that’s not enough. With the plethora of cameras and scrutiny of analysts, there is no hiding place any more. In the EPL pressing stats, he is in the bottom 1%.
Perhaps Mendes was banking on new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly wanting a quick trophy signing to impress his fellow Americans — Ronaldo is, after all, one footballer they will have heard of. The silver-tongued Mendes made his pitch and Boehly listened, but he also listened to his own manager.
Thomas Tuchel, who still bears the scars of dealing with egos at Paris Saint-Germain and is building a highly mobile attack, would not hear of it. Boehly, a rookie in the game who had removed Roman Abramovich’s recruitment team, is relying on Tuchel for advice — and took it.
As for Bayern Munich, CEO Oliver Kahn put it succinctly: “As much as I appreciate Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the greatest, a move would not fit our philosophy.” Manchester City and Barcelona were ruled out for tribal and financial reasons respectively while even PSG, the last refuge of the egotist, didn’t have a vacancy. In situ are Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé.
The saga would not have been complete without a bid from Saudi Arabia where an unnamed club offered to pay him more than £2 million a week! He gave it short shrift as he has unfinished business at the game’s top table. But with former clubs Real Madrid and Juventus reluctant to take him back, the five-times Ballon D’Or winner may have to accept a dish that has never been on his menu — a slice of humble pie.
If he does stay at United, a face-saving formula can surely be worked out, the groundwork for which may already be under way. He may have to admit he “mis-spoke” about leaving, perhaps arguing that it was his way of urging United to make significant signings. Worse happens in politics.
Whatever the outcome, the saga may have shown that player power as well as their off-the-pitch appeal has its limits — even for superstars. Mendes can wax lyrical about social media influence and sponsorship, but the stats that matter to managers are those on the field.
For a player whose image is everything, it has been a rare misjudgment. How he deals with the fallout will be a fascinating watch. But it won’t be easy for either party. The Dutchman is relaxed about it and has even suggested Ronaldo may not only stay but can even press: “In his career, he’s done everything. He’s capable of doing that,” he said in Melbourne.
United already seem in a better place with Marcus Rashford saying of Ten Hag: “We can do things together.” The squad looks fitter, faster and more of a unit. And they have made excellent signings in Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez, and still hope to get Frenkie de Jong. Crucially, their manager has new-found respect. It’s only Ronaldo that has lost any.
Bob Holmes is a long-time sportswriter specialising in football
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