When Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United in 2021, the soccer world seemed to stop. It was almost like a homecoming that his return might make them believe again in days of glory and success to come. More recently, the club's then-coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has gone on to admit that, despite all excitement, this decision might have been a mistake. During a business forum held in Oslo, Solskjaer recalled that the effect of CR7's return was not as rosy as it had been made out to be and even insinuated that the Portuguese star might have shone better if he had gone to bitter rivals Manchester City.
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It gives meaning to the question that many people had already asked: was it, after all, such a good idea for Cristiano Ronaldo to come back to United? Large expectations indeed, while the results on and off the pitch had remained poor.
A grand return, but problematic
Cristiano Ronaldo is definitely one of the best players to have ever kicked the ball. The numbers say it all: the top scorer for the Portuguese national team, various Ballon d'Or titles, and with trophies across every club he has played for, from Manchester United to Real Madrid and Juventus. So when he opted to return to United, it seemed a natural choice-a return to the club where he became a worldwide soccer phenomenon.
But according to Solskjaer, it was never that easy. Having a superstar like Ronaldo in the lineup turned out to be an effect in the locker room. When a star player this big joins in, naturally all the other players do feel overshadowed, and that according to Solskjaer might have disturbed the team's balance.
Anyway, Ronaldo had a pretty good season on an individual note. He scored 18 goals in 24 games in the Premier League in 2021/2022 and became United's top scorer, third in the league. However, on a personal note, all of CR7's accomplishments didn't provide too much for the whole team's success. Manchester United finished the season without trophies and not in top positions in the Premier League.
What if Cristiano had chosen City?
That is the big question that Solskjaer has raised. Manchester City was also in pursuit of Ronaldo at that time, and the Norwegian mentor does not mince his words when he says that CR7 might have become even deadlier after joining the blue side of Manchester. City, current four-time consecutive champions of the Premier League and probably one of the most consistent sides in Europe during the last few years, would give an ideal platform to Ronaldo for shining even brighter.
It came with the inevitable comparison to Erling Haaland, currently City's No 1 forward. Solskjaer believes Ronaldo might have done even better than the incredible statistics of Haaland at City, where the Norway forward has scored 100 goals in 105 games. Imagine Ronaldo in a team that is creating opportunity after opportunity, with players like Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva feeding his insatiable hunger for goals. He probably would have broken even more records.
Solskjaer now admits that by blocking Ronaldo's switch to City, he has arguably damaged not only the direction of the Portuguese superstar but also that of United's dressing room. Not an easy thing to manage-massive star in; the fact that this had caused a sea change in team dynamics is something Solskjaer himself acknowledges.
The impact on the locker room and the club
Immediately after the signing of a superstar-in this case Ronaldo-things are bound to take an immediate effect. While some players might get motivated if their idol joins the team, for others it is quite opposite; they may feel less important now. And that was what Solskjaer noticed.
"Probably other players felt less important," reflected Solskjaer, underlining the psychological influence CR7's arrival had on the squad. Despite Ronaldo's charisma and huge experience-playing for the biggest clubs and the Portuguese national team-the United atmosphere seemed to suffer. Some players might have felt undervalued with too much emphasis on the Portuguese star. "He was our top scorer that year, but I was out of a job ten weeks later," Solskjaer remembered.