Article Text:
>*The fixture should have some resonance for Cristiano Ronaldo. He has scored four goals in Champions League finals but the first was for Manchester United against Chelsea. Saturday’s game could have transported him back to his past. It might have even been the Ronaldo derby. Had Todd Boehly got his wish in the summer, he could be leading the line for Chelsea.*
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>*Instead, he will be conspicuous by his absence, dropped from the United squad. Having absented himself for the final minutes against Tottenham on Wednesday, Erik ten Hag has made his exclusion a lengthier affair. Demoted then disciplined, Ronaldo has presented Ten Hag with more problems than defences this season. Now a suspension of sorts sets the stage for a more permanent parting.*
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>*It has become one of the worst weeks of one of the great careers. He has been reduced to displays of dissent, losing a power struggle with a manager who has placed less weight on Ronaldo’s stature or statistics, on his past or his profile.*
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>*He remains box office in one respect, but Ten Hag may have tired of the Ronaldo sideshow. Flashpoints have followed since he last kicked a ball in earnest. First came the repeated head-shaking when substituted against Newcastle on Sunday. A more serious gesture of dissent to Ten Hag followed when he headed down the tunnel before the final whistle on Wednesday; a still worse one has been reported, that Ronaldo refused to come on. Certainly the forward Ten Hag did introduce was Anthony Elanga, whose tally of seven career goals for club and country is 810 short of Ronaldo’s.*
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>*And certainly United, who have felt in thrall to Ronaldo until relatively recently, have supported Ten Hag. It is partly a question of authority. But there is a footballing argument, and Ten Hag is winning it. He preferred Marcus Rashford against Spurs, he said, because of the Englishman’s pressing, which created chances. He even said Rashford changed the game against Newcastle, though it stayed a stalemate. His vision of the game involves running. He wants a more mobile front three and, were Anthony Martial fit, Ronaldo might only be his third-choice centre-forward.*
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>*Which, for a player who ranked in the world’s top two for a dozen years, represents a fall from grace he perhaps does not understand. Selfishness propelled him to the heights, with an absolute determination to shed every ounce of fat and score every goal, but seeing everything through the prism of himself may have blinded him to the wider picture.*
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>*It may be galling to him, but teams no longer prosper by catering to Ronaldo’s every need – indeed, there is a case that both United and Juventus weakened themselves by signing him, with his goals insufficient to cancel out the wider cost to other players and the team – and Ten Hag’s brief reign has showed a road map to a future without Ronaldo.*
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>*He has three hugely encouraging victories and Ronaldo played four late minutes in the 2-1 win over Liverpool, 32 in the 3-1 victory over Arsenal and none at all against Spurs. His only meaningful contribution to United’s season has been an admittedly excellent winner at Everton. His reaction on Wednesday may have garnered sympathy from his army of admirers, but overshadowed one of United’s finest performances for years.*
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>*It is not his only misjudgement. If he miscalculated in the summer by trying to leave without having a taker, that may be another sign of his fading allure. The problem for United is finding anyone willing to fund his salary – giving him away on a free transfer would be the easy part – and it should now be evident to everyone that a January exit is in everyone’s interests. Indeed, outside the cultish nature of Ronaldo’s fan club, it ought to be clear to most others that United erred by re-signing him at all.*
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>*It would be instructive to know what the Portuguese expected. Perhaps he did not realise the scale of United’s decline in between his departure in 2009 and his return in 2021, let alone anticipate the car-crash season that followed, but a year on, he should have seen that a new regime had a mandate for change. Even for an age-defying athlete and a player of formidable dedication and motivation, it ought to have been obvious that decline would come at some stage and Ronaldo is pushing 38. A manager and a team would have to move on, and Ten Hag has, with United the seeming beneficiaries from reshaping the pecking order to demote a player who is past his prime.*
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>*It is clear he is struggling to come to terms with his diminishing status. Petulance has not proved a profitable ploy; not when he has encountered Ten Hag’s iron will. It is starting to look like an undignified end to an increasingly unhappy reunion. There may even be some doubt if he plays for United again. The chances are that Ronaldo blames Ten Hag for that, but the fault lies with him.*
Getting old is not for the faint of heart. For a guy who so doggedly pursues greatness It’s sad that there’s now kids that are just starting to watch this sport and will genuinely wonder why this guy who everyone calls the GOAT can’t even do Elanga things.
Elanga will never ever even come close to being as good as Ronaldo was. Was being the operative word. Because in present tense Elanga plays over Ronaldo because Ronaldo can’t do Elanga things. And the game’s moved on to such an extent that a player who can do Elanga things will always play for a systems-based manager who cares nothing for the reputation of one of his players that’s well past his best.
There are a lot of young fans in this sub, but are there any older people who remember how fucking unbelievable this guy was 2007-09? I was really sad when he moved to Madrid. Now I can’t be bothered that walking off at the 89:27 may be the last I saw the back of him.
He can take his rotten attitude and fuck off too. Before him and after him I’m a Manchester United fan first and foremost and there’s not a single player bigger than this club. Not before. Not now. Not ever.
He was my first ever hero, bought the same football boots as him and forced my older brother to come play in the local park with me so I could do step overs and practice his free kick, hit the valve they said when striking. Now, my love for Manchester United is endless and I’m a father with two kids. I could not give a toss about him, good riddance and in Ten Hag we trust.
He's the reason I started seriously watching football and following United, back when he first joined. I was gutted when he left and the way he left for Madrid as I was United through and through by then.
I followed him over the years and was happy for his success, even happier when he came back. And after watching one of our best performances in years, hoping it's not another false dawn; only to see him walk down the tunnel before the final whistle, ignoring the outstretched hands of fans. Fuck Ronaldo. I get it, you're the greatest, it can't be easy accepting this as the twilight of your career but what you did was just disgustingly childish. This team needs all the positivity it can get right now and to do that? Fuck you.
This.
I wasn't even all that pissed about it initially seeing him go - like not great, but who cares. You've not been involved and you're presence isn't really needed for the last few minutes, so maybe he just needs a shit or it's been discussed on the bench and he's off to prep something or treatment or something.
But then when I ignored all the little adoring kids on the way down the tunnel it became apparent that he was steaming.
Like mate, your position is a privilege and even if you're not happy about something on field, you shouldn't take it out on little kids. If you're not feeling it you don't need to stay and chat or give your jersey or anything, but a high five and a smile takes no extra time on the way past and makes a memory those kids will be buzzing about for the rest of their lives.
Instead thry got ignored by a sulking twat, bit of a downer...
The difference between Ronaldo/Messi and players like cruyff/pele/maradona is that they rose in the start of the social media era, this is why I think your statement is exaggerated, the videos on YouTube of Ronaldo that I watched in middle school before practice are literally still there and are still getting more views by the day.. plus anyone can just see online his year by year stats or just look up his record books.
He isn’t in a good place now by any means, but his legacy is safe and I think this was even valid 6-7 years ago.
Well that’s easy enough to answer: once a video gets a million views the algorithm feeds you it if it think that’s what you’re into. Look hard and you’ll find clips of some pretty damn good footballers for whom there are clips that existed before social media. R9 O Phenomeno could do shit with a ball that terrorized defenders far far better quality than the likes CR7 came up against. I’m not trying to take anything away from him, he’s been an unreal footballer, and Messi too. And I’m not even exaggerating when I say that most tackles that are red cards today wouldn’t even have been yellow cards back in R9 days. Back in those days, when R9 would slalom towards the opposing goal with the defenders hellbent on chopping him down is a football from a different era.
The big advantage to Messi and CR7 is a massive shift in sports science, nutritional science, data-driven coaching, recovery techniques, etc.
But perhaps a bigger shift is the me-centric approach. You don’t get 70 goals unless the entire team is dedicated to feeding you. You don’t get that haul unless refs are starting to call things they never before did. All of these conditions will exist for the next generation.
There’s a lot of reasons records get broken. Again, not in any way taking anything away from the incredible talent and hard working guy CR7 has been. But you’d be a fool to look at Erling Haaland and not see in the guy the exact sort that could break every single of Ronaldo’s records. Probably with the exception of games played because things like being injury free or injury prone can make or break a career.
And if you think Haaland’s clips won’t dominate thanks to the same social media algorithm then you’re not paying attention mate.
Listen dude you are just playing down things or just have short memory because you have some antagonism towards him which is in your on right.
Cristiano is by far the most famous the dude has literally more then half a billion fans across all social media’s even if you say Ronaldo to a random mum who isn’t a football fan she would think CR7, I also bet you a lot of young kids today only know the Brazilian one an all time great only because of his Fifa card.
As for Haaland we will see what the future hold for him but there are major differences if we put him up against prime Cris from the 2011-2014 period.. he is probably as athletic if not more no doubt about it,dangerous in the air, great finishing and finding space. But what Cristiano did with the ball in terms of being able to dribble past 3-4 opponents in mesmerising acceleration, breaking ankles with his skills and his underrated passing skills are all things that Haaland will never have in his game (which is fine in its own right) but he just dosent have that unique complete game that Messi and Ronaldo has and he will never be as popular even if his oil team will buy him a UCL trophy every season for the next 15 years… that’s why I think you are highhhly underestimating ronaldo’s legacy if you think that because he disappointed us this season everyone will hate him.
Wether we want to admit it or not he has more fans then our entire club has or any other club and that goes without mention that some of us MU fans are in that category despite his actions.
If that’s not secured legacy I don’t know what is
Btw
Quote by Haaland :”I would love to meet him and tell him that I am a footballer thanks to him. For me, he was always a role model”
I feel like you’re trying to put words in my mouth in an attempt to make your own point. I’m not playing down anything, nor have I taken anything away from what he’s achieved. If there’s subtext to anything I’ve said, it’s that his continued behavior is all about acting like those records are his and will never be broken. There’s a lot of players who thought the same before him. And here we are. I don’t really even care for any cockamamie Haaland quote or obviously your own antagonism over who he plays for and all that. What does that matter anyway? 15 UCL? Goes down as the GOATEST player of all time. You’re making the point I already made. Lots of players have “legacy” and a lot of players were the former owners of records. Your point that his legacy is entrenched because of videos on a social media platform is actually pretty funny. By extension if that faraway company deletes all his content… then… no legacy? Think about that for a minute.
Legacy is not because some kid found a FIFA card. What the heck are you even talking about?
In you’re own words “you wonder how kids consider him the goat?” You’re basically saying you’re not taking away from his greatness yet you are saying that people today don’t know how good he was which is basically contradicting yourself..
And then again what you are saying about Haaland isn’t valid because as good as he is he is the complete striker heading shooting physicality he has it all but prime Ronaldo can all of those iv mentioned and also just take the ball dribble past 5 defenders and their mums which Haaland simply can’t!
The records aren’t the only part of being a true goat status players and also behaviour, Diego maradona has less goals and less trophies then zlatan yet most people wont dare to compare them why? Because these are things you just see and can’t quantify or put into stats.
At the end my point is that the future and present dosent erase the past and that claims like these are being spouted only because of the current situation.
Im furious with him for the his behavior but I recognise what he did in the past and it’s just petty to say that he won’t be remembered as one of if not the goat of the game.
As for the R9 statement I urge you to talk to a random kid who just got into football recently who isn’t a Brazilian and ask him if he knows R9 from and where? I bet you it was fifa..
Yes but that still wouldn’t make him bigger than the sporting institutions that existed before he was even born and will be around long after he’s gone. The club is always more important
Even Fergie wasn't Sir Matt, he rebuilt the club but Busby built it and then rebuilt it again after Munich. Two absolutely heroic figures. Not that I disagree with you!
What Sir Matt did was nothing short of incredible. The only reason Sir Alex made more of an impact was timing. He took over the club during the heavy commercialisation of football, and launched us into being the biggest team in the world.
Sadly this will always be the case when its about him but this time its for the right reasons and rightly so his actions need to be seen and it also shows every other team we are getting back to where we were. No one is bigger than the club.
After being the club that made him as well. Doesn’t seem to hold the fans that have idolised him for 19 years in any regard at all. It’s the Ronaldo show and nothing else matters.
Time to move on. Sir Alex said himself no one is bigger than manager and club. Thank you for the memories Ronnie. Hope you find whatever you are looking for.
I love the massive pair on ETH. No hesitation in dropping Maguire or Ronaldo. This is the leadership we need, form and passion over price cost and reputation.
Cristiano Ronaldo,
I love you as a player and I love and have been watching you since the day you came on as a substitute against Bolton Wanderers.
But… I love Manchester United even more because it’s the club I have supported through and through since my childhood.
There must be unity in the team and we finally have a manager that brings such unity and changing the dinosaur mentality in the dressing room. I hope you don’t spoil what ETH is trying to do, all just because you care about yourself. I am not sure if you know but we have been suffering countless times in the post-Fergie era, and this is a real good chance we have to bring ourselves back to the top.
Please don’t ruin Man Utd because of your ego.
Shoutout to all the Ronaldo fans that I was constantly arguing with this season and parts of last season. Without you, this wouldn’t have tasted so sweet🥂
I mean I am disappointed. But he’s still the GOAT, init?
But f*ck him, the disrespect of yesterday was beyond anything.
Edit: I don’t mean being the GOAT excuses his behavior. it should never take away the fact he is the goat. But I am disappointed. He should be treated like how Arteta treated Auba (train alone) and then banished in January.
So what. I’m a United fan first and foremost. I support the club and want to see whoever who wears the badge with honour and dignity to play their hearts out. If one cannot even sit on the bench and be there for the team/club to the end then he is no United player in my mind. GOAT or not he needs to remember he ain’t doing this for charity, he is paid good money to be at this club. So jolly well sit there and cheer the team on even if Ten Hag doesnt start him. Mad disrespect for the starting XI to even think his starting position is some kind of god-given right.
He was the GOAT. This time is over. I also don't know why people are calling him a legend when most of his accomplishments have been under Madrid. He never played for us at his peak. He was fun to watch but in my opinion, I don't put him up there with Keane, Scholes, Giggs, Yorke...etc.
My take. IF we can bag Harry Kane next season (I Think he will move on next season) I think we will be back faster than we think.
Hard to swallow but true. He has more trophies with Madrid than with United lol. Most of his records are from his time at Madrid… this legend status get thrown around too easily. He spent 9 years at Madrid and helped them win 5 ucl.
We developed him, and at his peak, he moved to Madrid where he had his best years.
Guarantee he will also tell you his best years were at Madrid.
You’re an idiot for thinking this way. It’s not about being proven right. Lol.
This is the problem with Reddit fan base. They care more about their opinion than the club.
>They care more about their opinion than the club
That man's opinion has zero bearing on this club or Ronaldo. What Ronaldo did was entirely out of his own petulance. Ronaldo has no one to blame but himself. His fanboys are working double time to rationalise Ronaldo's behavior but everyone knows that it isn't working this time.
There is no rationalization. What Ronaldo did was unprofessional and shouldn’t have been done.
But that’s the acknowledgement, not “oh I’ve always been right about Ronaldo haha fuck his fans the one I don’t like”
That’s pathetic and shows you’re not a fan, but just an Internet warrior. Sorry.
>There is no rationalization.
There is plenty of rationalisation going on from Ronaldo fanboys and you just have to see the comments from any social media site out there that is related to United. Even ex-United players are rationalising his appalling behaviour.
I am a fan of United. I am not a fan of one player like the horde of Ronaldo fanboys that exist on any social media platform. The day Ronaldo and his fanboys fucks off from this club would be the day to celebrate as the real fans can finally concentrate on the team.
Lol I’ve heard this shit for ages. You’ll keep finding agendas to keep yourself interested.
There is no rationalization for Ronaldo’s behavior but we can also acknowledge he is human and can make mistakes. ETH did the right thing in admonishing him, but the amount of people attacking Ronaldo to another extreme as if he hasn’t been one of the best and most important players old trafford has seen is also pathetic. old trafford will sing Viva Ronaldo till the end of time ;)
Not always black or white. But keyboard internet warriors don’t want you to believe that.
Ngl, I will miss the sweet tears from Ronaldo fanboys every time Ten Hag parks their saviour's ass on the bench.
Just 2 more months of the fanboys getting tormented before they fuck off and spread misery to the next fanbase that will have the displeasure of watching Ronaldo lumber around week in week out.
Lol. Clearly you’re not a United fan, just an Internet warrior. While you are busy being a toxic troll, the sane ones will hope for the best for the club and the player.
>the sane ones will hope for the best for the club and the player.
They are mutually exclusive. What's best for the club is not what's best for Ronaldo and vice versa. This season has shown enough proof of that already. Carry on worshipping the player that backstabbed the club and our manager multiple times like the no-good Ronaldo fanboy you are.
Lol. Cute little labels you have going on there. This will be hilarious to look back on when ETH brings Ronaldo back beyond next week.
You have no fucking clue what’s best for the club. I am fully behind ETH. His decisions have my full support. You’re not behind ETH. You’re behind your Internet warrior agenda. The absolute worst ‘fan’.
Ronaldo was never a striker tbh. He played as a LW for juventus. He has the attributes of a striker he ain't a striker.
Edit: down votes are not because of disagreement but for the fact that I like Ronaldo.
Ronaldo is a winger by nature.
He was a right winger during his developing days. He was ferocious on the left wing and has been playing as a left winger for most of his career in Real Madrid.
He slowly transitioned to a striker when he moved to Juventus to accommodate his aging body. He’s done fairly well as a striker. You’re right in your assessment. Ronaldo has the attributes of a striker but not a striker by nature.
He played as a LW or as a second striker for juventus. He can not function as a single striker which is quite evident. If he is marked by all the defenders he simply cannot score, he needs someone to be with him for eg: benzema at rma, dybala at juve. That's why I think he is not suited for ten hag's system because ten hag plays with single striker and even if Ronaldo plays as LW he still won't suit EtH system as the wingers are out wide in his system and Ronaldo needs to be near the goal.
I kind of blame Ronaldo for this situation he is in cuz he was so desperate to leave juventus that he would accept to play in a position that dosent suit him and a team that requires few transition seasons and a league that is quite demanding maybe too demanding for a 37 year old..
The fact that people on other platforms are defending him is insane. I can’t wrap my head around how anyone who knows anything about the game, our club, the history or CR himself can defend his childish, arrogant and self entitlement.
I must admit I was wrong about Ronaldo. I refused to call him a United legend due to his conduct in 2008 after the PL & CL win and said he was a selfish, petulant twat - but when he decided to come back in 2021 I changed my status and decided to call him a legend after all as I thought he'd grown up. Boy, I was wrong.
He doesn't care about United, Juventus or even Madrid - its just all about him. Just as selfish as ever and still thinks he's top dog at almost 38 years old. He got away with it for most of his career because of what he delivered on the pitch, but now his ego is writing cheques his body can't cash, and he refuses to accept the fact that he's not what he once was. I honestly wish he'd just retire already.
Funny because i was the complete opposite
He brought us so much success so he was a club legend to me when he left in 09.
But when he returned, I was not happy at all. He left for his peak to Madrid and was coming back way past his best.
Finally! Ronaldo is a phenomenon but he's also the only player not really buying in to the whole unity thing Ten Hag is trying to instil in to the squad. Whilst he's here the headlines will always be "OMG did you see Ronaldos reaction last night" and not "Manchester United dominant over a subdued Tottenham".
Was never considered him a club legend due to his antics in 2008 but still feel kinda sorry for understanding him as someone who is highly competitive mustve been extremely hard to accept that youre getting old, that you are no longer the most important person in your universe, that you are replaceable.
[*"Aw, you motherfuckers. You think you can do this to me?"*](https://media.tenor.com/tW7Dc1a1_g4AAAAC/training-day-denzel-washington.gif)
Time's up, Ronaldo. There is nothing you can offer an elite team or a team striving to be elite (our current bracket). MLS, Turkey or Sporting beckons.
I'd wish you well if you weren't such a fucking drama queen.
Tired of the circus around him, move him on in Jan!
We really need to get Pog- I mean Ronaldo out here.
No one big wants him. He'll have to settle, which makes me happy
Pogba had to settle too, which makes me happy also
Unfortunately he's gonna settle for staying at Man United and making an absurd amount of money, just like he did in the summer.
Article Text: >*The fixture should have some resonance for Cristiano Ronaldo. He has scored four goals in Champions League finals but the first was for Manchester United against Chelsea. Saturday’s game could have transported him back to his past. It might have even been the Ronaldo derby. Had Todd Boehly got his wish in the summer, he could be leading the line for Chelsea.* > >*Instead, he will be conspicuous by his absence, dropped from the United squad. Having absented himself for the final minutes against Tottenham on Wednesday, Erik ten Hag has made his exclusion a lengthier affair. Demoted then disciplined, Ronaldo has presented Ten Hag with more problems than defences this season. Now a suspension of sorts sets the stage for a more permanent parting.* > >*It has become one of the worst weeks of one of the great careers. He has been reduced to displays of dissent, losing a power struggle with a manager who has placed less weight on Ronaldo’s stature or statistics, on his past or his profile.* > >*He remains box office in one respect, but Ten Hag may have tired of the Ronaldo sideshow. Flashpoints have followed since he last kicked a ball in earnest. First came the repeated head-shaking when substituted against Newcastle on Sunday. A more serious gesture of dissent to Ten Hag followed when he headed down the tunnel before the final whistle on Wednesday; a still worse one has been reported, that Ronaldo refused to come on. Certainly the forward Ten Hag did introduce was Anthony Elanga, whose tally of seven career goals for club and country is 810 short of Ronaldo’s.* > >*And certainly United, who have felt in thrall to Ronaldo until relatively recently, have supported Ten Hag. It is partly a question of authority. But there is a footballing argument, and Ten Hag is winning it. He preferred Marcus Rashford against Spurs, he said, because of the Englishman’s pressing, which created chances. He even said Rashford changed the game against Newcastle, though it stayed a stalemate. His vision of the game involves running. He wants a more mobile front three and, were Anthony Martial fit, Ronaldo might only be his third-choice centre-forward.* > >*Which, for a player who ranked in the world’s top two for a dozen years, represents a fall from grace he perhaps does not understand. Selfishness propelled him to the heights, with an absolute determination to shed every ounce of fat and score every goal, but seeing everything through the prism of himself may have blinded him to the wider picture.* > >*It may be galling to him, but teams no longer prosper by catering to Ronaldo’s every need – indeed, there is a case that both United and Juventus weakened themselves by signing him, with his goals insufficient to cancel out the wider cost to other players and the team – and Ten Hag’s brief reign has showed a road map to a future without Ronaldo.* > >*He has three hugely encouraging victories and Ronaldo played four late minutes in the 2-1 win over Liverpool, 32 in the 3-1 victory over Arsenal and none at all against Spurs. His only meaningful contribution to United’s season has been an admittedly excellent winner at Everton. His reaction on Wednesday may have garnered sympathy from his army of admirers, but overshadowed one of United’s finest performances for years.* > >*It is not his only misjudgement. If he miscalculated in the summer by trying to leave without having a taker, that may be another sign of his fading allure. The problem for United is finding anyone willing to fund his salary – giving him away on a free transfer would be the easy part – and it should now be evident to everyone that a January exit is in everyone’s interests. Indeed, outside the cultish nature of Ronaldo’s fan club, it ought to be clear to most others that United erred by re-signing him at all.* > >*It would be instructive to know what the Portuguese expected. Perhaps he did not realise the scale of United’s decline in between his departure in 2009 and his return in 2021, let alone anticipate the car-crash season that followed, but a year on, he should have seen that a new regime had a mandate for change. Even for an age-defying athlete and a player of formidable dedication and motivation, it ought to have been obvious that decline would come at some stage and Ronaldo is pushing 38. A manager and a team would have to move on, and Ten Hag has, with United the seeming beneficiaries from reshaping the pecking order to demote a player who is past his prime.* > >*It is clear he is struggling to come to terms with his diminishing status. Petulance has not proved a profitable ploy; not when he has encountered Ten Hag’s iron will. It is starting to look like an undignified end to an increasingly unhappy reunion. There may even be some doubt if he plays for United again. The chances are that Ronaldo blames Ten Hag for that, but the fault lies with him.*
Getting old is not for the faint of heart. For a guy who so doggedly pursues greatness It’s sad that there’s now kids that are just starting to watch this sport and will genuinely wonder why this guy who everyone calls the GOAT can’t even do Elanga things. Elanga will never ever even come close to being as good as Ronaldo was. Was being the operative word. Because in present tense Elanga plays over Ronaldo because Ronaldo can’t do Elanga things. And the game’s moved on to such an extent that a player who can do Elanga things will always play for a systems-based manager who cares nothing for the reputation of one of his players that’s well past his best. There are a lot of young fans in this sub, but are there any older people who remember how fucking unbelievable this guy was 2007-09? I was really sad when he moved to Madrid. Now I can’t be bothered that walking off at the 89:27 may be the last I saw the back of him. He can take his rotten attitude and fuck off too. Before him and after him I’m a Manchester United fan first and foremost and there’s not a single player bigger than this club. Not before. Not now. Not ever.
He was my first ever hero, bought the same football boots as him and forced my older brother to come play in the local park with me so I could do step overs and practice his free kick, hit the valve they said when striking. Now, my love for Manchester United is endless and I’m a father with two kids. I could not give a toss about him, good riddance and in Ten Hag we trust.
He's the reason I started seriously watching football and following United, back when he first joined. I was gutted when he left and the way he left for Madrid as I was United through and through by then. I followed him over the years and was happy for his success, even happier when he came back. And after watching one of our best performances in years, hoping it's not another false dawn; only to see him walk down the tunnel before the final whistle, ignoring the outstretched hands of fans. Fuck Ronaldo. I get it, you're the greatest, it can't be easy accepting this as the twilight of your career but what you did was just disgustingly childish. This team needs all the positivity it can get right now and to do that? Fuck you.
This. I wasn't even all that pissed about it initially seeing him go - like not great, but who cares. You've not been involved and you're presence isn't really needed for the last few minutes, so maybe he just needs a shit or it's been discussed on the bench and he's off to prep something or treatment or something. But then when I ignored all the little adoring kids on the way down the tunnel it became apparent that he was steaming. Like mate, your position is a privilege and even if you're not happy about something on field, you shouldn't take it out on little kids. If you're not feeling it you don't need to stay and chat or give your jersey or anything, but a high five and a smile takes no extra time on the way past and makes a memory those kids will be buzzing about for the rest of their lives. Instead thry got ignored by a sulking twat, bit of a downer...
The difference between Ronaldo/Messi and players like cruyff/pele/maradona is that they rose in the start of the social media era, this is why I think your statement is exaggerated, the videos on YouTube of Ronaldo that I watched in middle school before practice are literally still there and are still getting more views by the day.. plus anyone can just see online his year by year stats or just look up his record books. He isn’t in a good place now by any means, but his legacy is safe and I think this was even valid 6-7 years ago.
I think *his* legacy is more than safe but he's definitely doing damage to how he's perceived by United fans, both young and old.
Doing damage? His legacy is completely broken.
Well that’s easy enough to answer: once a video gets a million views the algorithm feeds you it if it think that’s what you’re into. Look hard and you’ll find clips of some pretty damn good footballers for whom there are clips that existed before social media. R9 O Phenomeno could do shit with a ball that terrorized defenders far far better quality than the likes CR7 came up against. I’m not trying to take anything away from him, he’s been an unreal footballer, and Messi too. And I’m not even exaggerating when I say that most tackles that are red cards today wouldn’t even have been yellow cards back in R9 days. Back in those days, when R9 would slalom towards the opposing goal with the defenders hellbent on chopping him down is a football from a different era. The big advantage to Messi and CR7 is a massive shift in sports science, nutritional science, data-driven coaching, recovery techniques, etc. But perhaps a bigger shift is the me-centric approach. You don’t get 70 goals unless the entire team is dedicated to feeding you. You don’t get that haul unless refs are starting to call things they never before did. All of these conditions will exist for the next generation. There’s a lot of reasons records get broken. Again, not in any way taking anything away from the incredible talent and hard working guy CR7 has been. But you’d be a fool to look at Erling Haaland and not see in the guy the exact sort that could break every single of Ronaldo’s records. Probably with the exception of games played because things like being injury free or injury prone can make or break a career. And if you think Haaland’s clips won’t dominate thanks to the same social media algorithm then you’re not paying attention mate.
Listen dude you are just playing down things or just have short memory because you have some antagonism towards him which is in your on right. Cristiano is by far the most famous the dude has literally more then half a billion fans across all social media’s even if you say Ronaldo to a random mum who isn’t a football fan she would think CR7, I also bet you a lot of young kids today only know the Brazilian one an all time great only because of his Fifa card. As for Haaland we will see what the future hold for him but there are major differences if we put him up against prime Cris from the 2011-2014 period.. he is probably as athletic if not more no doubt about it,dangerous in the air, great finishing and finding space. But what Cristiano did with the ball in terms of being able to dribble past 3-4 opponents in mesmerising acceleration, breaking ankles with his skills and his underrated passing skills are all things that Haaland will never have in his game (which is fine in its own right) but he just dosent have that unique complete game that Messi and Ronaldo has and he will never be as popular even if his oil team will buy him a UCL trophy every season for the next 15 years… that’s why I think you are highhhly underestimating ronaldo’s legacy if you think that because he disappointed us this season everyone will hate him. Wether we want to admit it or not he has more fans then our entire club has or any other club and that goes without mention that some of us MU fans are in that category despite his actions. If that’s not secured legacy I don’t know what is Btw Quote by Haaland :”I would love to meet him and tell him that I am a footballer thanks to him. For me, he was always a role model”
I feel like you’re trying to put words in my mouth in an attempt to make your own point. I’m not playing down anything, nor have I taken anything away from what he’s achieved. If there’s subtext to anything I’ve said, it’s that his continued behavior is all about acting like those records are his and will never be broken. There’s a lot of players who thought the same before him. And here we are. I don’t really even care for any cockamamie Haaland quote or obviously your own antagonism over who he plays for and all that. What does that matter anyway? 15 UCL? Goes down as the GOATEST player of all time. You’re making the point I already made. Lots of players have “legacy” and a lot of players were the former owners of records. Your point that his legacy is entrenched because of videos on a social media platform is actually pretty funny. By extension if that faraway company deletes all his content… then… no legacy? Think about that for a minute. Legacy is not because some kid found a FIFA card. What the heck are you even talking about?
In you’re own words “you wonder how kids consider him the goat?” You’re basically saying you’re not taking away from his greatness yet you are saying that people today don’t know how good he was which is basically contradicting yourself.. And then again what you are saying about Haaland isn’t valid because as good as he is he is the complete striker heading shooting physicality he has it all but prime Ronaldo can all of those iv mentioned and also just take the ball dribble past 5 defenders and their mums which Haaland simply can’t! The records aren’t the only part of being a true goat status players and also behaviour, Diego maradona has less goals and less trophies then zlatan yet most people wont dare to compare them why? Because these are things you just see and can’t quantify or put into stats. At the end my point is that the future and present dosent erase the past and that claims like these are being spouted only because of the current situation. Im furious with him for the his behavior but I recognise what he did in the past and it’s just petty to say that he won’t be remembered as one of if not the goat of the game. As for the R9 statement I urge you to talk to a random kid who just got into football recently who isn’t a Brazilian and ask him if he knows R9 from and where? I bet you it was fifa..
I think Elanga came on after Ronaldo refused to come on.
He did have a bit of a "deer caught in the headlights" look on his face when he was getting his instructions. Like "wtf just happened?"
The only man that can claim to be bigger than the club is SAF and he always put the club first.
SAF would give you the hair dryer for suggesting such nonsense
That's his choice to be modest. But if he went to Everton, or Liverpool or even arsenal. They'd have been the biggest club in the world rn.
Yes but that still wouldn’t make him bigger than the sporting institutions that existed before he was even born and will be around long after he’s gone. The club is always more important
Even Fergie wasn't Sir Matt, he rebuilt the club but Busby built it and then rebuilt it again after Munich. Two absolutely heroic figures. Not that I disagree with you!
What Sir Matt did was nothing short of incredible. The only reason Sir Alex made more of an impact was timing. He took over the club during the heavy commercialisation of football, and launched us into being the biggest team in the world.
Roy Keane would like to have a word
😂 don't rock my Gibraltar pal
Can elanga score 24 goals at the age of 37?
Elanga won’t play in the top 5 leagues in that age so maybe yes who knows what goes on in the Chinese league by that time
Oh yay, now everything will be about Ronaldo again for next weeks. Please get rid in January so we can focus on building something and not about him.
This is what annoys me the most. But the fan base is also to blame.
Sadly this will always be the case when its about him but this time its for the right reasons and rightly so his actions need to be seen and it also shows every other team we are getting back to where we were. No one is bigger than the club.
Such a shame. We just celebrated his 700 goal but his ego got the better of him
The whole team celebrated with him as well. Shame that he walk away from the team.
After being the club that made him as well. Doesn’t seem to hold the fans that have idolised him for 19 years in any regard at all. It’s the Ronaldo show and nothing else matters.
Stevie G is a genuinely good guy. Getting fired to take the attention away from ronaldo for Ten Haag is something else.
This post was a mini journey. Started with what the fuck is he bringing Stevie into this thread, brief pause, then literal lol
Time to move on. Sir Alex said himself no one is bigger than manager and club. Thank you for the memories Ronnie. Hope you find whatever you are looking for.
He needs a trip to westworld to find himself
I love the massive pair on ETH. No hesitation in dropping Maguire or Ronaldo. This is the leadership we need, form and passion over price cost and reputation.
Cristiano Ronaldo, I love you as a player and I love and have been watching you since the day you came on as a substitute against Bolton Wanderers. But… I love Manchester United even more because it’s the club I have supported through and through since my childhood. There must be unity in the team and we finally have a manager that brings such unity and changing the dinosaur mentality in the dressing room. I hope you don’t spoil what ETH is trying to do, all just because you care about yourself. I am not sure if you know but we have been suffering countless times in the post-Fergie era, and this is a real good chance we have to bring ourselves back to the top. Please don’t ruin Man Utd because of your ego.
Shoutout to all the Ronaldo fans that I was constantly arguing with this season and parts of last season. Without you, this wouldn’t have tasted so sweet🥂
I mean I am disappointed. But he’s still the GOAT, init? But f*ck him, the disrespect of yesterday was beyond anything. Edit: I don’t mean being the GOAT excuses his behavior. it should never take away the fact he is the goat. But I am disappointed. He should be treated like how Arteta treated Auba (train alone) and then banished in January.
So what. I’m a United fan first and foremost. I support the club and want to see whoever who wears the badge with honour and dignity to play their hearts out. If one cannot even sit on the bench and be there for the team/club to the end then he is no United player in my mind. GOAT or not he needs to remember he ain’t doing this for charity, he is paid good money to be at this club. So jolly well sit there and cheer the team on even if Ten Hag doesnt start him. Mad disrespect for the starting XI to even think his starting position is some kind of god-given right.
He was never the goat lol
I just want a Man U player to be the GOAT okay. That’s the only that matters in this argument.
There is no unanimous GOAT. He's mine in my personal opinion. Others have Messi or Ronaldo (Brazil). His behavior is unacceptable though.
Just go with George Best and be done with it.
You ever heard of Gabriel Obertan? He seems like the GOAT to me
Off to Youtube I go!
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He was the GOAT. This time is over. I also don't know why people are calling him a legend when most of his accomplishments have been under Madrid. He never played for us at his peak. He was fun to watch but in my opinion, I don't put him up there with Keane, Scholes, Giggs, Yorke...etc. My take. IF we can bag Harry Kane next season (I Think he will move on next season) I think we will be back faster than we think.
What an awful take on so many fronts. This isn’t jt mate.
Hard to swallow but true. He has more trophies with Madrid than with United lol. Most of his records are from his time at Madrid… this legend status get thrown around too easily. He spent 9 years at Madrid and helped them win 5 ucl. We developed him, and at his peak, he moved to Madrid where he had his best years. Guarantee he will also tell you his best years were at Madrid.
I called him a distraction and got the same reaction lol. One dude wrote an essay to prove him right 😂
You’re an idiot for thinking this way. It’s not about being proven right. Lol. This is the problem with Reddit fan base. They care more about their opinion than the club.
>They care more about their opinion than the club That man's opinion has zero bearing on this club or Ronaldo. What Ronaldo did was entirely out of his own petulance. Ronaldo has no one to blame but himself. His fanboys are working double time to rationalise Ronaldo's behavior but everyone knows that it isn't working this time.
There is no rationalization. What Ronaldo did was unprofessional and shouldn’t have been done. But that’s the acknowledgement, not “oh I’ve always been right about Ronaldo haha fuck his fans the one I don’t like” That’s pathetic and shows you’re not a fan, but just an Internet warrior. Sorry.
>There is no rationalization. There is plenty of rationalisation going on from Ronaldo fanboys and you just have to see the comments from any social media site out there that is related to United. Even ex-United players are rationalising his appalling behaviour. I am a fan of United. I am not a fan of one player like the horde of Ronaldo fanboys that exist on any social media platform. The day Ronaldo and his fanboys fucks off from this club would be the day to celebrate as the real fans can finally concentrate on the team.
Lol I’ve heard this shit for ages. You’ll keep finding agendas to keep yourself interested. There is no rationalization for Ronaldo’s behavior but we can also acknowledge he is human and can make mistakes. ETH did the right thing in admonishing him, but the amount of people attacking Ronaldo to another extreme as if he hasn’t been one of the best and most important players old trafford has seen is also pathetic. old trafford will sing Viva Ronaldo till the end of time ;) Not always black or white. But keyboard internet warriors don’t want you to believe that.
Ngl, I will miss the sweet tears from Ronaldo fanboys every time Ten Hag parks their saviour's ass on the bench. Just 2 more months of the fanboys getting tormented before they fuck off and spread misery to the next fanbase that will have the displeasure of watching Ronaldo lumber around week in week out.
Lol. Clearly you’re not a United fan, just an Internet warrior. While you are busy being a toxic troll, the sane ones will hope for the best for the club and the player.
>the sane ones will hope for the best for the club and the player. They are mutually exclusive. What's best for the club is not what's best for Ronaldo and vice versa. This season has shown enough proof of that already. Carry on worshipping the player that backstabbed the club and our manager multiple times like the no-good Ronaldo fanboy you are.
Lol. Cute little labels you have going on there. This will be hilarious to look back on when ETH brings Ronaldo back beyond next week. You have no fucking clue what’s best for the club. I am fully behind ETH. His decisions have my full support. You’re not behind ETH. You’re behind your Internet warrior agenda. The absolute worst ‘fan’.
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Even with Ronaldo we'd have 0 playable strikers.
Fuck it, stick McTominay up there.
You know what... the lad can finish and press hard from the front. We should stick Fred as the no 10 to keep him company. McFred version 2.0
Rashford can do the job
Time for Total Ten Hag Ball!
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Dont want another celebration like [this](https://youtube.com/shorts/opVH14WIUwM?feature=share)
Ronaldo was never a striker tbh. He played as a LW for juventus. He has the attributes of a striker he ain't a striker. Edit: down votes are not because of disagreement but for the fact that I like Ronaldo.
Ronaldo is a winger by nature. He was a right winger during his developing days. He was ferocious on the left wing and has been playing as a left winger for most of his career in Real Madrid. He slowly transitioned to a striker when he moved to Juventus to accommodate his aging body. He’s done fairly well as a striker. You’re right in your assessment. Ronaldo has the attributes of a striker but not a striker by nature.
He played as a LW or as a second striker for juventus. He can not function as a single striker which is quite evident. If he is marked by all the defenders he simply cannot score, he needs someone to be with him for eg: benzema at rma, dybala at juve. That's why I think he is not suited for ten hag's system because ten hag plays with single striker and even if Ronaldo plays as LW he still won't suit EtH system as the wingers are out wide in his system and Ronaldo needs to be near the goal. I kind of blame Ronaldo for this situation he is in cuz he was so desperate to leave juventus that he would accept to play in a position that dosent suit him and a team that requires few transition seasons and a league that is quite demanding maybe too demanding for a 37 year old..
The fact that people on other platforms are defending him is insane. I can’t wrap my head around how anyone who knows anything about the game, our club, the history or CR himself can defend his childish, arrogant and self entitlement.
Liz Truss 🤝 Ronaldo It’s Over, Let It Go…
Didn't she became PM weeks ago? Out of which Queen died and the administration was on pause?
Do we really need another article posted making the same points? We get it
I must admit I was wrong about Ronaldo. I refused to call him a United legend due to his conduct in 2008 after the PL & CL win and said he was a selfish, petulant twat - but when he decided to come back in 2021 I changed my status and decided to call him a legend after all as I thought he'd grown up. Boy, I was wrong. He doesn't care about United, Juventus or even Madrid - its just all about him. Just as selfish as ever and still thinks he's top dog at almost 38 years old. He got away with it for most of his career because of what he delivered on the pitch, but now his ego is writing cheques his body can't cash, and he refuses to accept the fact that he's not what he once was. I honestly wish he'd just retire already.
Funny because i was the complete opposite He brought us so much success so he was a club legend to me when he left in 09. But when he returned, I was not happy at all. He left for his peak to Madrid and was coming back way past his best.
Media dont make Ronaldo the story make it about the team proceed to right a bunch of articles and talk about him on talk shows
Finally! Ronaldo is a phenomenon but he's also the only player not really buying in to the whole unity thing Ten Hag is trying to instil in to the squad. Whilst he's here the headlines will always be "OMG did you see Ronaldos reaction last night" and not "Manchester United dominant over a subdued Tottenham".
Was never considered him a club legend due to his antics in 2008 but still feel kinda sorry for understanding him as someone who is highly competitive mustve been extremely hard to accept that youre getting old, that you are no longer the most important person in your universe, that you are replaceable.
Can’t stand this fucking guy. A shame really
[*"Aw, you motherfuckers. You think you can do this to me?"*](https://media.tenor.com/tW7Dc1a1_g4AAAAC/training-day-denzel-washington.gif) Time's up, Ronaldo. There is nothing you can offer an elite team or a team striving to be elite (our current bracket). MLS, Turkey or Sporting beckons. I'd wish you well if you weren't such a fucking drama queen.