Cristiano Ronaldo is going through the worst phase of his long and illustrious career will be an understatement. Things have been going south for him since the end of the 2021/22 season in every possible way.
With the arrival of the new coach Erik Ten Hag, he saw himself axed from the regular XI. Frustrated about being a regular face on the bench, he did some of his unprofessional antics that didn't help his cause. Now the legendary Portuguese man finds himself out of the squad and training with the U21 team!
Where exactly did such a rapid downfall begin? He was the best player at Manchester United last season, scoring quite a few winning goals, and now he seems to be out of the equation completely.
First things first, keeping in mind the weird tweet of Kevin Pietersen, too, any sensible football fan would support the United boss, while Ronaldo will be accused of unprofessionalism severely.
While it is never a doubt that Ronaldo's position is much higher than what he is served now, he dragged himself to today's position thanks to a string of bad decisions he made and is still making.
It was confirmed that Manchester United wouldn't play in the Champions League even before the domestic season ended. While Ronaldo's desperation to play in the greatest club football tournament is understandable, what followed was beyond the lines of professionalism.
Being arguably the greatest footballer of the competition, Ronaldo desperately tried to devise a move out of Old Trafford. However, there is always a time to stop, and Ronaldo's time was that. He should have accepted his fate and continued playing with Manchester United. If he never again plays in UCL, his legacy would still talk about him highly.
But no, this is Ronaldo! Ego comes into play, and he forgets how fondly he has been loved at Old Trafford. If we don't consider this a mistake, then wait; the cherry on top is yet to be served.
Ronaldo also forgets another fact: his age is nearing 37, and he has little magic left in him that used to conquer the world. As he sought a place in the big European clubs, rightfully, none showed interest.
The player who used to be sought by every big club got rejected by who knows how many clubs. He even missed training sessions to force his way out, but where? With all these, his name got linked to several small clubs too, and numerous rumours spread quickly to tarnish the legacy of a legend he built over almost two decades.
When Ronaldo realised he had to play in the Europa League, the damage of reputation was already done. The season started, and he gave disaster after disaster. Lack of confidence and frustration of not playing in the UCL was evident in whatever time he got to play.
In the meantime, he left the stadium before the final whistle twice, the latest being the cause of much hue and cry. He is fined, left out of the squad for a big Chelseas game this week and also practising with the Manchester United U21 team as a punishment.
Ten Hag is responsible for uplifting an underperforming European giant, and he must first set the team culture correctly. So far, he has done quite a praiseworthy job.
From any point of view, Ronaldo deserves the punishment and criticism he is getting now. A champion like him should have set better examples of professionalism.
However, while even his fans are upset with him, when the name is Cristiano Ronaldo, you never say never! Under pressure and so much criticism, mentally fighting with frustration and lack of confidence translating into his poor form, the Portuguese superstar still promised to fight back, to return to the arena and be conquerors once again.
The age is not on his side, but those who have seen his career know how great a fighter he is. Even if he can't come back from this, he will still be one of the greatest footballers of all time. If he does, that will be another mythical tale of a superhuman, maybe the last one, the best one!
