After the unexpected defeat in the Qatar World Cup quarterfinals of Portugal in the hands of Morocco, Cristiano Ronaldo’s future seems uncertain.
It all came to a head when Ronaldo went on the podcast of Piers Morgan saying unflattering comments towards the manager of Man United, Eric Ten Hag and former manager Ralf Rangnick. His displeasure of being relegated to a bit role was apparent and he did not hold back in saying as much.
Ronaldo is one of the handful of players who has scored 100 goals for the club. He completed the rare feat during his return back in August 2021 before former teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked that year. Solskjaer was replaced by Rangnick who took the role of caretaker coach.
Ronaldo affected team chemistry?
He started his comeback in good form. Scoring goals like he never left. Unfortunately his addition also created a bit of a strain in clubhouse chemistry and performance.
Marcus Rashford who was touted to take his form to the next level after some productive years with the club had seen a dip in his performance. Anthony Martial was going through an up and down season.
Jadon Sancho couldn’t reach the levels he set with Borussia Dortmund when he was bought for a pretty penny and Harry Maguire, the captain, has seen better days. The talented but divisive figure Paul Pogba has since left the club.
Rumors abound about Ronaldo and Portugal teammate Bruno Fernandez having a hard time relinquishing leadership roles to each other.
Whether Ronaldo’s presence contributed to the total deterioration of the Club’s ethos and legacy since the great Sir Alex Ferguson left as head coach has been a point of contention for fans.
Ten Hag means business
So when Eric Ten Hag replaced Rangnick as head coach, you could see the writing on the wall that the aging Ronaldo does not fit the long term plans of changing the club’s approach that involves revamping the team and helping younger players rediscover their form.
Perhaps Ronaldo’s appearance in Morgan’s podcast was his way of venting as he saw his eventual exclusion coming.
The changes have also seen Ronaldo’s son leaving the Man United youth team after his dad’s contract was terminated.
There is talk now that there is a possibility that Ronaldo will end up going to Saudi Arabia and get paid record sums to play for Club Al-Nassr. If true, this will be the first time the Portuguese superstar will play outside Europe.
Should this be a sign of his eventual ride out into the desert sunset like former Barcelona star Xavi before him, He will always be considered as one of the best players to have ever played the game.
