LONG LIVE
THE KINGAbove His 110th
and 111th Portugal
goals – to see off
Ireland – made him
the top international
scorer of all-timeMORE On FOURFOURTWO.COM
- Year Zero: How Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2006-07
Manchester United season turned him into
the player we know (by Andrew Murray) - Cristiano Ronaldo’s journey to 100 Portugal
goals – and the all-time international record
(by Chris Flanagan)
RONALDO VS PEP: THE REMATCH
For a while, the 36 year old’s destination
appeared to be Manchester City, before the
red half of the city, horrified at the prospect
of him joining their rivals, rapidly mobilised
and ensured he returned to Old Trafford.
“I haven’t had a chat with him, but I think
Manchester City was a bluff,” suggests Nani,
wondering whether those talks were just an
attempt to bring United to the table. “I don’t
think Cristiano at City would have worked –
Manchester would have burned!”
The Red Devils hope this proves to be
more of a Robin van Persie signing than an
Alexis Sanchez. Both snubbed City to join
United – the former helped them to win the
league, the latter scored just three Premier
League goals, weighed down by Ronaldo’s
old shirt. During his 12 years away, CR7
netted 392 league goals, while United’s
various No.7s amassed only 24. Ronaldo
could match that tally this campaign alone
and seems a more natural fit for United than
Guardiola’s City, where the focus is on the
system rather than the individual. At the
Etihad, no one is bigger than the collective.
The link-up with Bruno Fernandes could
be pivotal – Ronaldo’s international team-
mate persuaded him to return to English
shores, even if Fernandes was dropped by
Portugal during Euro 2020 and has struggled
to shine in the same way alongside the
tournament’s Golden Boot winner. Bruno
was substituted at 1-0 down on the night
that Ronaldo broke the international
goalscoring record recently, heading his
110th and 111th Portugal goals against the
Republic of Ireland.
It took his tally for club and country to an
astonishing 785, though managing Ronaldo
while getting the best out of the rest of his
squad will be a test like Ralf Rangnick has
never faced before.
“Ronaldo needs a boss who has a human
touch, a person who acknowledges the good
things he does, but also sticks by his side if
he’s not doing well,” says ex-Real assistant
Jose Morais.
“The most successful at handling him
were those who found the best balance
between those two things.”
Get it right, and United could become
serious title contenders. “There needs to be a
team around him, but with Ronaldo,
Manchester United can reach the same level
as when Sir Alex Ferguson was there,” says
former Juve assistant Carrera.
He may not be the same marauding
player to grace Old Trafford in his original
spell, but Ronaldo’s extraordinary fitness
regime has extended his career. He’s older
than Wayne Rooney, for example, who
retired in January.
“There were times when Juve rested him,
but I don’t think he needs it,” insists Morais.
“I remember times at Real Madrid when we
wanted to give him some rest and leave him
out of a game. He was like, ‘No way, I want
to play this one too!’
“It happened in a match against Murcia- he was sat on the bench and came on at
half-time. What happened? He scored and
was the happiest man in the world. This was
a Copa del Rey tie, but he was adamant that
he wanted to play. He’s still in the condition
to play whenever he wants. The day he needs
rest, that’s the day he’ll retire.”
One suspects that before finally hanging
up his boots, he hasn’t completely given up
on collecting one last Ballon d’Or. Messi has
edged ahead of him, with six to Ronaldo’s
five, though the Argentine now plays in a less
illustrious league for Paris Saint-Germain,
reversing last season’s situation.
“I’m the Italian juror for the Ballon d’Or,
and I always vote for a player that’s won
something of importance that year,” admits
Condo. “If Manchester United were to win the
Champions League with a goal from Ronaldo,
he’ll be a leading candidate. But if Manchester
United finish third in the Premier League and
only reach the last eight of the Champions
League, I will never vote for him – even if he
scores 100 goals.”
Ronaldo is acutely aware of that fact. It’s
not enough to just score – he needs only 14
goals to match the highest Premier League
tally for a player over the age of 35, posted
by Chelsea’s Gianfranco Zola in 2002–03. He
has to help United win trophies again, and
he’ll do everything in his power to make that
happen; to reverse the power shift since he
left Manchester in 2009.
“When United lost a player like Cristiano
and a manager like Sir Alex Ferguson, it was
huge,” says Louis Saha. “Ronaldo symbolised
the club’s attacking mentality. Sir Alex had
always said he wanted people with courage,
not someone who only brings goals when
we were already 2-0 up. We needed them
to perform when the team was struggling.
Cristiano did that.
“Sometimes over recent years at United,
I wasn’t seeing enough character, enough
reaction that players were really gutted when
they missed opportunities. No one was telling
them, ‘You need to do much better,’ like Roy
Keane, Gary Neville or Rio Ferdinand used to.
Cristiano will do that – you need goalscorers,
but you also need leaders.
“He’s still one of the best players in world
football. Yes, he’s 36, but he’s the best finisher
by far – he’s been top scorer in Italy. I don’t
think Juventus’ style was that creative – he’ll
have more chances in England.
“At the end of the season, he wants to be
the best player with the most trophies. They
have signed him to win the Premier League.
If he could win the title back for Manchester
United, it would be amazing for him. That’s
what he’s looking for – he’s obsessed with
winning. I can only see one outcome here.”
Time will tell whether Saha is right.
Ronaldo brought an end to one era of Pep
Guardiola dominance during his time at Real
Madrid. Having snubbed the Catalan’s
advances this summer, now he aims to do it
again, with the team of his heart.
United were the club that took Cristiano
Ronaldo to the top. If he can take them back
there, his legacy will be complete.Ronaldo has been linked with
a United return so many times
during the past 12 years that it’s
hard to believe he’s actually back.
His best years are behind him,
but at 36 he still outscored everyone
in Serie A last season, so he offers
United plenty over the next couple
of campaigns. The lift he brings is
huge, both in the dressing room
and in the stands. One of the best
players ever is in red once more.The 2007-08 campaign was his
standout season – it was rare for
a game to go by without Ronaldo
grabbing a goal, the last of his 42
coming in the Champions League
final against Chelsea.
But one of my best memories
is from his final year. United were
2-0 down at home to Spurs with
just over half an hour to go, but
scored five goals in 22 minutes.
Ronaldo bagged two of them andan assist, and he went absolutely
potty after putting us 3-2 ahead,
ripping off his shirt and screaming
up at the sky.
It was obvious just how much
it meant to him to retain the title
before leaving.
Had that result gone differently,
Liverpool might have ended up
becoming champions that season.
Instead, we equalled the record of
18 league crowns.“On E OF THE GREATEST PLAYERS OF ALL TIME IS BACK”
Republik of Mancunia’s Scott Patterson (@R_o_M) explains why United fans are so happy to see Ronnie returnFourFourTwo.com The Story of Man Utd 129