Return of the King
What a day, what a summer. Despite the amount spent in a single transfer window dropping for a second consecutive year, Premier League clubs still combined to spend over £1 billion.
Return of the King
However, there’s one man and one man only that I want to talk about and that is (drumroll please ….), Cristiano Ronaldo. When I first heard about the transfer my initial thought was, it’s cute. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. I’m a huge Ronaldo fan and rate him in the top five footballers of all time. Let’s have real talk though, Ronaldo is going to be 37 years old by the end of the 2021-22 season. Agreed, this is no ordinary 36 year old. Ronaldo is a specimen of a footballer who, even as he’s aged, combines spatial brilliance with an uncanny ability to score goals. I refer to spatial brilliance because for Ronaldo to succeed, the part of his game that needs to continue to elevate him is his awareness of a football pitch and how to be in the right place at the right time. He’s not going to blow by defenders or do 30 stepovers before rifling a shot top shelf anymore. Also, what Ronaldo also needs to succeed in his latest and potentially last stint at the highest level is a Ronaldo peak 2003-2009. Somebody that can run the wing and provide pinpoint service into the 6 yard box. The closest United have to that is Jadon Sancho who is still unproven in the Premier League and may take some time to adapt.
The Intangibles
What is undisputed are the intangibles that Ronaldo will bring. The incredible dedication that has allowed Ronaldo to maintain peak performance into his late 30’s. His undeniable and sustained success at the highest level of professional football. His seasoned football brain that always helps those around him become better players (see Portugal’s triumph at Euro 2016). There’s so much to like here and Manchester United will hope that these qualities transcend to others within the organization.
Key to Success
Finally, Ronaldo and United’s success ultimately depends on the manager. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has spent £441 million since he joined in 2018. He’s assembled a solid squad that really should be competing for trophies. The challenge he’ll have is to keep his star-studded strike force happy. For example, I thought this was the season that Edinson Cavani was going to break out and lead the line like a true number 9. I don’t think he’ll be afforded the run of games to do that now and may drop back to being second fiddle as he unfortunately has many times in his career. How do you fit Jesse Lindgard, who had a formidable season with West Ham, into the team? What about Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood. My word United have some talent on their hands but the key to success is a tinker man that can make perfection from paper.
I’m still not sold that Solskjaer can do that.
With that said, even though I’m not a United supporter, I’m thoroughly looking forward to watching this master of the trade back in the Premier League and witnessing the Royal welcome he gets from the United faithful on September 11.
