This summer we have learned something about Cristiano Ronaldo. He did not come to Manchester United last year to save the team. He came there to save himself. If anything else were true, he would have tried to lead United back to the Champions League. But the 37-year-old, who has one year left on his contract, wants to leave to play in the tournament this season. In this sense, United is a platform for him to achieve his goals. This pursuit of individual greatness has driven Ronaldo for a long time. But for the first time in his career, he is unwanted by the very best. The only big club that still wants Ronaldo is the one he wants to leave. Don’t want to go to the old people’s home Ronaldo is in a special situation. Among the best of all time, few have played at the top level as long as him. The exceptions are often defenders or goalkeepers. The rest have largely done one of two things: returned home or gone to the United States. Legends such as Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff and the original Ronaldo played in their home countries. Names such as Pelé, Eusébio and Franz Beckenbauer made it to the States. The newer options for this lucrative retirement are China, Japan and Saudi Arabia. THE STATES: Football legend Pelé ended his career with the New York Cosmos. Photo: Anonymous / AP But Ronaldo does not miss Portugal. He doesn’t want to go to the old people’s home. According to ESPN, a club in Saudi Arabia has offered him 275 million euros over two years – and was turned down. Ronaldo is so ambitious that even United is not good enough. He has scored the most goals in the Champions League, and if he is to embellish the record, time is running out. If he wins the trophy for the sixth time, he has a slight chance of winning his sixth Ballon d’Or. But Ronaldo needs a team that plays in the tournament. He thinks he is good enough. Unfortunately for him, the top teams have considered the matter – and disagreed. Not biting the hook Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has offered him to several teams in the Champions League. He has been able to say that Ronaldo recently became United’s top scorer with 24 goals. But most teams have good forwards from before. Only three have been relevant: Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain. Chelsea’s new boss, Todd Boehly, is said to have assessed Ronaldo. He will increase the club’s commercial income, something Ronaldo would contribute to. But the coach, Thomas Tuchel, has put his foot down. So does Bayern’s general manager, Oliver Kahn, who says that Ronaldo does not fit their “philosophy”. Not even PSG, who love to throw money at old stars, bit the hook. This is not surprising, because the best teams mostly sign young players who improve. Ronaldo will be 38 next season and, according to English reports, earns NOK 6 million a week. Besides, there is an even bigger problem. Ronaldo has become tactically outdated. Worst in the class Long, he was developing, from a fast winger to a goalscoring machine. Now he has stopped, while football moves on. Today’s best team combines Spanish possession and German pressure. Coaches such as Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp set the standard with teams that recover the ball high up the pitch. This requires a striker who runs a lot. Here, Ronaldo is the worst in the class. According to consulting company StatsBomb, he was the player in the five major European leagues who pressed the least last season, apart from goalkeepers and stoppers. WITHOUT PRESSURE: Cristiano Ronaldo continues to score goals, but lacks the pressure. Photo: Jon Super / AP Before this has gone well for Ronaldo. His coaches haven’t had what Kahn calls a particular “philosophy.” Alex Ferguson (United), Carlo Ancelotti and Zinédine Zidane (both Real Madrid) were flexible enough to adjust their strategies to suit him. The same applied to Max Allegri (Juventus) and Ole Gunnar Solskjær (United). The only exceptions have been Maurizio Sarri (Juventus) and Ralf Rangnick (United). This spring, Rangnick wanted to push hard, but gave up because of Ronaldo. The team finished in sixth place. The philosophers Unfortunately for Ronaldo, the coaches with “philosophies” have now spread. Chelsea said no because Tuchel has a style similar to that of Guardiola. Bayern’s coach is Julian Nagelsmann, another who has studied Guardiola, who used to be a scout for Tuchel. SIMILAR: Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel has a style similar to Pep Guardiola. Here before the championship final last year. Photo: Pierre Philippe Marcou / AP Other Guardiola followers are Mikel Arteta (Arsenal) and Xavi (Barcelona). Diego Simeone (Atlético Madrid) and Antonio Conte (Tottenham) are closer to the Italian champion Arrigo Sacchi, but their strikers also run a lot. Even PSG, who have let their top stars get away with a lot, will now change their style. So Ronaldo is at a dead end. He is too expensive, too old and largely out of date. But there’s one coach who still wants him, and that’s his boss now. Possible solution Erik ten Hag, who was hired by United this summer, has been positive about Ronaldo. Although they have not spoken, and Ronaldo is away from the team’s tour of Australia and Thailand, Ten Hag says he wants him to continue and that he is not for sale. In fact, he has not ruled out Ronaldo staying for two more years, as a clause allows Ronaldo to extend his deal until 2024. This is surprising, because Ten Hag is also a disciple of Guardiola. He built two great teams in Ajax with high pressure. In this sense, Ronaldo should be more of a problem than a solution. NEW MANAGER: Erik ten Hag is the new manager at Manchester United, but has not brought the team’s biggest star on tour in Australia and Thailand Photo: GEORGE SALPIGTIDIS / AFP Perhaps Ten Hag needs to be positive. If Ronaldo stays, Ten Hag should be on his side. If Ronaldo leaves, United will demand money, and the price will go down if everyone knows they want to sell. But it is possible that Ten Hag means what he says. He worked with a classic striker at Ajax in the form of Sébastien Haller, who bagged goals. Besides, Ten Hag says that Ronaldo can press. Maybe this can be fixed after all. Has one thing to prove In addition, United need a goalscorer. With Edinson Cavani gone, Anthony Martial is now Plan B and the last thing United want is another hunt for a striker. In other words, the best club for Ronaldo is the one he is in now. He hardly realizes how lucky he is. Right now there is no other team that 1) will pay him what he wants 2) will give him a permanent place at the top 3) has a coach with a modern “philosophy” where Ronaldo gets a central role. This makes sense. In each of the last five seasons, Ronaldo’s team has taken fewer points than the year before. So if Ronaldo really wants to play in the Champions League, the solution is simple. He can stay at United, score goals and do his part to make the whole team better. If he succeeds, he will save both the club and himself.
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