'Viva Ronaldo' could be a chant confined to the history books and we can bid the 'Siiiiuuu' celebration adeui based on the actions of CR7 this week.
As a Manchester United supporter, I will be sad to see him go, assuming he won’t be back in a United jersey again. His talent is undeniable, but his interview with Piers Morgan this week is the latest chapter in a long-drawn-out story of drama surrounding him.
If we are to believe the media releases so far, then it was Ronaldo who requested the interview and also him who determined the release date. The club season is now on its break for the World Cup, so he knows that he won’t be back within the United set-up until late December.
He wasn’t starting for the team, or featuring at all in some recent games and his frustrations were evident. There has been ongoing speculation about his discontent and his future at the club since the summer. I was expecting him to move clubs in the summer transfer window and was surprised when he didn’t but then when we look at the facts, he is 37, almost 38 years old. For all his skills and abilities how much longer is he capable of competing at the top level? What clubs would be willing to pay his asking price and risk him coming into a squad and unsettling those already there?
As much as we appreciate his talents, is he a team player? From the outside looking in, I have to say it doesn’t look like it. I would guess he is a perfectionist with incredibly high standards, and he would expect the same levels of commitment from all those around him too. He commands respect and it comes across that he is the lead character in all aspects of his life.
That all said, respect has to be earned and reciprocated for any manager-player relationship to work. Ronaldo’s respect for Alex Ferguson was clearly evident, that relationship was special, and it showed in Ronaldo’s performances on the pitch that he wanted to earn the respect of Ferguson in return.
The same respect dynamic needs to be evident within GAA teams at both club and county level for both the players and the team to prosper. We are trained from a very young age to recognise that everyone in the team plays a role and has equal importance. We are taught to never let your ego get above the team, as that is when problems set in. We have to respect our team-mates and respect our managers enough to recognise that they are doing their best and making decisions for the good of the team.
I know when I was part of the Tyrone set-up, and especially towards the end of my career, we had to accept the decisions of management and trust that they were acting for the best of the team. I can understand Ronaldo’s frustration at being left on the bench. Maybe he is in the twilight of his career and management believe he isn’t capable of giving his all for the full game. I suspect that a lot of his frustrations come from lack of communication and clarity from management.
Coming near the end of my Tyrone career in 2020, I felt that I had done enough to earn a little respect, however I could see Mickey and Gavin slowly but surely not having the same faith in me. I was being taken off early, not starting games and I just knew something had changed in their heads. They never said anything to me, but I knew the way things were moving that I was being phased out.
We don’t know what discussions Ronaldo and Erik Ten Hag have had (if any), but I know I would have appreciated a one-to-one meeting to discuss my position and role to allow me to decide my future and determine my role moving forward.
Looking back, I should have commanded the respect and asked the right questions, however is it up to the manager or player to initiate communication? In my opinion upfront honesty is the only way.
I saw an article recently claiming that Bruno Fernandes snubbed Ronaldo a little at Portugal when they met. There is probably very little in it, but external actions do have internal repercussions and if you don’t have everyone on the same page, then it simply won’t work. Thankfully, any team I have ever played on had one common goal, it has always been about the team/club/county. Once you have a few people pulling the other way, its game over.
The media coverage of this interview will be worldwide, especially in the week of World Cup preparation when there are no matches to talk about. I’m under no illusions that Ronaldo knows exactly what he is doing. The wording of his social media post about Portugal being a 'united team' is clever but also could be seen as petulant. He is fanning the flames and he knows now that if he performs to his best at the World Cup that it will be up to Manchester United to publicly explain why they are leaving one of the best players in the world on the bench. Would I love to see him back on the starting 11 in a United jersey? Absolutely. Do I think it will happen? Unfortunately not.
