I could recall the 2003 friendly in Lisbon between Sporting Lisbon and Manchester United, the match was an exhibition match for the opening of Sporting’s new stadium, Estadio Jose Alvalade. Sporting was triumphant in the match, but the key highlight was the mesmerising skills shown by the home side’s 18-year-old prodigious winger from the island of Madeira, Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. The nimbleness he demonstrated motivated Sir Alex Ferguson to immediately seek his signature, and he was signed for £12 million. Before the formal signing, Sir Alex declared him "one of the most exciting young players" he had ever seen. Cristiano was promptly handed the historic No. 7 shirt won by legends such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham.
Cristiano flourished at United, where Sir Alex Ferguson revived him to be a goal-scoring forward in the mold of Sir Bobby Charlton. He was also taught to make himself more unpredictable and improve his teamwork. In 2008, Cristiano became United's first Ballon d’Or winner since George Best in 1968, and the first Premier League player to be named the FIFA World Player of the Year. In his four-year stint at Old Trafford, he won three Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and a Champions League trophy.
In 2009, Cristiano joined Real Madrid for a then world record fee of £80 million. At Real Madrid, Cristiano became a phenomenon. He became the club’s all-time leading goal scorer, notching an incredible 451 goals in 438 competitive appearances. He also helped Real Madrid win 4 Champions League trophies, 3 Club World Cups, 3 UEFA Super Cups, 2 LaLiga titles, 2 Copas del Rey, and 2 Spanish Super Cups. At the individual level, he won five further "World's Best Player" titles.
He spent just three years at Juventus, but scored 81 goals in 98 appearances for the Old Lady. He won a couple of Serie A titles and a Copa Italia before returning to Manchester United, where Edinson Cavani agreed to switch to the number 21 shirt in order to allow Cristiano to regain his famous No. 7. The first 24 hours of Cristiano's shirt sales were reported to have broken the all-time record following a transfer, overtaking Messi after his move to PSG. In his second debut at Old Trafford, he scored the opening two goals in a 4–1 league victory against Newcastle. In the 2021/22 season, he ended up being United’s top scorer with 19 goals in 40 appearances.
In February 2022, Cristiano reached the age of 37, an advanced age for a football player. That age and his disappointment at not playing in the Champions League, a competition in which he was most prolific and holds the record for overall goal scorer with 140 goals, somewhat tarnished his mentality and athleticism. He also clashed with United's new manager, Erik ten Hag, when he refused to participate in the pre-season tour and twice sat on the bench before the final whistle. At the beginning of the 2022–2023 season, his form significantly ebbed, and he had to be dropped. His goal-scoring ability deteriorated, and his overall performance suffered, not just for United. During the 2022 World Cup, Manuel Santos, the Portuguese head coach, had to be dropped to the subs' bench based on his low performance.
Cristiano plunged the final straw in the back of the camel when, just before the World Cup, he had an interview with one of United’s fiercest antagonists, Piers Morgan. He astonishingly detailed his spat with Erik ten Hag, claiming he was "provoked" by ten Hag, whom he accused of lacking empathy and referring to Manchester United as a "marketing club," among other ridiculous terms. That explosive interview invariably ended Cristiano’s time at United, and during the World Cup, he had an interview with one of United's fiercest antagonists, Piers Morgan. He astonishingly detailed his spat with Erik ten Hag, claiming he was "provoked" by ten Hag, whom he accused of lacking empathy and referring to Manchester United as a "marketing club," among other ridiculous terms. That explosive interview invariably ended Cristiano's time at United, and on November 22, 2022, it was announced that Cristiano’s contract was terminated by mutual consent.
After failing to get any European club to sign him, most probably due to his high wage (at United, he is paid £515,000 every week), he finally agreed to move to an unknown Saudi Arabian League, undoubtedly due to the value of the contract and the chance to keep on banging in goals, even in an ineffectual league, in order to maintain his goal-scoring record. According to various reports, Cristiano will receive the highest football salary in history, worth €200 million per year at Al-Nassr. This includes an annual guaranteed football salary of €90 million, with commercial and sponsorship deals, included, bringing his total annual salary to €200 million. He was reportedly paid a signing-on bonus in the region of €100 million.
Despite the gargantuan contract, by moving to the Saudi League, I could be bold and say that Cristiano’s era has come to an end. Prominent players, at the end of their careers, move to places like the USA, Japan, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. Cristiano is now one of them. Unlike his peers, he seemingly refused to acknowledge that his time was almost up. He will be 38 next month, and he is yet to accept that he won’t be playing forever. The 2022 World Cup has proved that he can never be at the top list of football's all-time greats of World Cup winners. Lionel Messi, his perennial rival, has won the World Cup, and with it, the debate on who is the best among them.
Cristiano has missed the chance to be an ambassador at Manchester United, a club that cherishes and gratifies its ex-players. If he will listen to me, I’ll advise him to hang up his boots at the end of this year and become a fashion icon, an actor, or a model.
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