Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the best soccer player on the planet. The Real Madrid superstar has been at the top of his game for around a decade, since his breakthrough at Manchester United. After his switch to Real Madrid, Ronaldo seemed to step it up another few gears and that saw him mentioned in the same breath as Barcelona’s genius Lionel Messi.
One thing that never seems to go away though is the rumors of him leaving Real Madrid to head back to the Premier League, namely Manchester United. The question is could it or will it ever happen to the English Premier League before Ronaldo retires from the game?
Update: It happened. Cristiano Ronaldo returns to play for Manchester United!
Cristiano Ronaldo pounces on the rebound after Freddie Woodman spills Mason Greenwood’s initial effort to get his second chapter at Manchester United off to a dream start.
First of all, any soccer team in the world would benefit hugely from having a man of Cristiano Ronaldo’s talents and influence in their side. He’s singlehandedly carried Real Madrid at times as well as Portugal. So if he was to be made available, there would be a long queue of interested parties. Many feel that Ronaldo would be opt for a return to the English Premier League because he’s been there and done it before, rather than elsewhere.
Due to his affinity with Manchester United though, you could argue that they are the only soccer club he would ever play for in England. So would Manchester United be interested in bringing Ronaldo back to Manchester? Of course they would! Jose Mourinho always seems to be on the lookout for a wide player who can give United a cutting edge as well as a superstar, Ronaldo fits the bill in both senses.
One stumbling block with bringing Ronaldo back to the Premier League would be the financials involved. With him being 32 now, you’d expect the transfer fee wouldn’t be out of reach for a few clubs in England. His wages and bonuses however could rule most out. Apart from the Manchester United and Manchester City, you couldn’t really see anyone else being able to put together a financial package to meet the Portuguese soccer star’s demands. Could you really see him pulling on the shirt of United’s bitter rivals?
So if Cristiano Ronaldo was to make a return to the Premier League, you’d imagine it would only be to join Manchester United. He has an affinity with the club and its supporters and they could finance such a deal with relative ease. They also have links to Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes and his Gestifute agency. So you can see how it all fits.
Cristiano’s age could be a factor though as Ronaldo who was heavily linked with an exit from Real Madrid this summer seems very likely to stay put. This time next year he will be 33 and he could be on the decline by then, if he’s unable to stay healthy. A lot can happen in 12 months in football.
Another influential factor could be his ongoing tax avoidance saga. Reports initially stated, the star soccer player was very disappointed that Real did not offer any support. However, the President of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, has voiced his support; and more importantly, that the player will not be sold.
Ronaldo and his agent have both reiterated that he will be a Real Madrid player this season and that he wants to end his career at the Spanish club. Time is running out for him to make a move with age no longer on his side. They always say never say never in football but it’s highly unlikely that Ronaldo will make a move back to England. But most Manchester United fans would love to see him in the red jersey one more time.
