United Should not Sweat Losing Out on Ronaldo

Over the past week plus there have been rampant reports about Cristiano Ronaldo being unhappy at Real Madrid. The former United man was reported to have his top choice be a return to United, but that chatter has died down as it looks like he will stay at Real. Here’s why not getting him should not be considered disastrous:

First and foremost, the price to get Ronaldo is enormous. It has been said his release clause was a whopping 1 billion pounds, which is astronomical for any club; including United, before you get to his personal wages. Of course, that number is hyperbole but the real number is still incredibly high. One of the packages that was thrown out was Ronaldo and United target Alvaro Morata for David De Gea and 175 million pounds. 

There is no denying Ronaldo is awesome. He could walk on to any squad and make them exponentially better. He would provide United the offense that they have lacked ever since Sir Alex Ferguson left the bench, as evidenced by his 42 goals in all competitions last season.

Even for a 32-year-old he would still be able to match the pace of United youngsters Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial; while making them so much better. Had the three of them ever gotten the chance to be on the pitch at the same time, it would have been a nightmare for opposing defenders.

Lasting impact?

Second, even though Ronaldo is still arguably the best player in the world, father time is still undefeated and Ronaldo will not escape him either. While he would provide United with incredible goal scoring prowess for probably 3-4 years (maybe a little longer as he keeps himself in incredible shape), eventually his albatross of a contract would hold the team back. He would be in the same situation as Wayne Rooney found himself in this past season, a legend on the bench.

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But moreover, all the assets that would have to be given up to get him would deplete the cupboard for a long time. De Gea is a world-class goalie who has kept United in so many games over the years and is just 26. He could potentially be in net for United for another decade. United also needs to upgrade the defensive midfield and left back and if all that money went to Ronaldo, those positions could not be upgraded.

Would it be worth it?

Of course, the question is would the short-term rewards justify the cost of bringing him in? There’s no doubt that with Ronaldo United would be the instant favorites in the Premier League. But would they be able to win Champions League titles with him in? That’s iffy. Would he make this coming year’s squad (presumably without De Gea mind you) able to compete with Barca, Bayern, Juventus and even Real without Ronaldo? I don’t think so.

Next: Ronaldo set to stay at Real Madrid

While it would have been great to have Ronaldo back, I believe the money is better spent elsewhere. Get a young talented striker like Morata or Romelu Lukaku (who may not be going to Chelsea after all) and upgrade the midfield and back line as well.