Anyone but United fans: What do you make of the Ronaldo who has returned to the PL and would you want him in your team?

[RobinLFC]

ITT people who are predisposed to hate Ronaldo, hate Ronaldo. He's been playing quite well and would be playing better if he got more service. Simple as that. We would be out the CL and mid-table without him.

Now you'll be out of the CL a round, maybe two rounds later most likely, and you are 7th in the league which is basically midtable.

I won't pretend to have a clue about his wages and stuff, but wouldn't you rather had you'd invested his money into younger players who could actually be of service to the club when you'll be relevant again? I don't disagree that he's been good, but what difference does it ultimately make? Sounds like short-term vision when a long-term plan needs to be in place for United.

 

[SATA]

Off topic but I simply cannot understand why the crowd at the away grounds would boo him when United come visiting. They are witnessing a GOAT advancing towards the end of his career and it’s a real privilege to still be able to see him play before he retires. Are they jealous of his achievements or something? Maybe i am thinking from a United fan point of view but I’m just baffled whenever he touches the ball and i hear boos ringing. I know i wouldn’t boo him myself if he had chosen to sign and play for City

 

[AshRK]

I won't lie I expected more from him but then I expected more from the team overall. Would never have imagined at the start of the season that we will be lying 7th, howsoever point behind Man city.

Having said that I can see him scoring another 10 plus goals in all competitions, which would mean he would end up with 24 plus goals in all competitions. Not amazing for a guy like ronaldo but then it is an amazing number for any other forward whose name is not Messi Ronaldo or Lewandowski.

 

[Dumbstar]

Reminds me of Stevie Gerrard in our final two years. Always had the skill way above his colleagues but just too old. In the PL you can't hide a player like that. Maybe other leagues but not here. He would always come up with an important goal or assist that would keep him for that bit longer at the club. We needed to move on sooner.

The future is always 'forward'. Not behind you. Liverpool fans, more than most should know. And Utd fans are learning the same lesson.

 

[el diablorojo]

Last time I saw him live was at Old Trafford when he was in his pomp he was such an exciting player back then and I know he is 36 now but seeing him live yesterday it was not the same experience.

Would I have him in my team of course I bloody would

 

[MsNuno]

Yes of course we would. Our young players idolise him

 

[amolbhatia50k]

I can’t really get my head around the stick he gets by our fans; if anything, it’s absolutely dire planning to bring him in and then not make him the focal point of the team, there to be fed and finish off chances. It’s what he is in this phase of his career.

He’s clearly not as fast or strong as he used to be, but he makes runs that always have the potential for conversion.

In our team, in complete disarray, he has to do too much work outside the areas he’s still deadly in. Surely, in a team set up for him, he’s still a talent you’d gladly have in your team over almost any other forward?

Which work is that?

 

[Klopper76]

I think his output in terms of goal scoring has been good for a 36 year old in a struggling team. His all round play in games hasn't impressed me much. Age has caught up with him a bit and you can tell when watching him play. He loses the ball a lot and tries things that he can't really pull off any more.

I don't think he's the cause of all the problems at United. It's not his fault that AWB, Shaw and Maguire have all fallen off a cliff in terms of their form for example. It's also not his fault that United are short in midfield.
I do think his signing might've hurt United's progress under Solskjaer though. I think United spent the summer planning to play with Sancho coming in and maybe a CB (Varane) and to build on what they had done last season. When Ronaldo became available United made a spur of the moment decision to sign him. The problem with that is that he's Ronaldo and he has to play, so United and Solskjaer had to base everything they were going to do around him being up front as a number 9. This was probably a bit of a shift from what the plan was previously with a front three involving Sancho, Greenwood, Rashford and Martial.

He's not the main problem but I think he has added to United's issues this season. Just my take on it.

 

[Daysleeper]

No you won't because he dragged them to the R16 in CL

Im talking about next season obviously

 

[Daysleeper]

3 posts to be another Messi/Ronaldo thread, Nice.

As expected

 

[Daysleeper]

I think it depends on the precise wording of the question.

Would I prefer Arsenal play Ronaldo up front tonight instead of Lacazette or Nketiah? Yes - yes I would.

Would I want us to sign Ronaldo at 36 and in the process

• Smash our wage structure?
• Abandon our pressing tactics?
• Be forced to play him every game?

In return for 8 league goals? (a feat matched by Emile Smith-Rowe who currently isn't even a starter for us - plus he's not our penalty-taker).

The answer to that question is... no.

His individual contribution this season hasn't been mind-blowing. I don't think he would help us to become a better team. And I'm certain that he hasn't taken Manchester United forward as a unit.

Great player - poor signing.

I didn’t recall posting this until I saw a closer look at your username

 

[giorno]

Im talking about next season obviously

You'll be in CL so not happening anyways

 

[Hansi Fick]

Not been great at all. Would I have him in our team? No. Well past his best.

Trying hard to swallow this post without typing a snarky reply involving the words "Spurs" and "Kane".

Gulp.

 

[Strelok]

Great player

You haven't watched him for a long time I guess.

 

[Daysleeper]

You'll be in CL so not happening anyways

I love your optimism friend

 

[Hansi Fick]

I don't think he is the cause of United's problems, but he definitely isn't a solution either. The squad construction is really weird, the team seems resistant to tacitcs and having an undroppable striker on the wrong side of 35 who doesn't work hard for anything other than his own goals doesn't help.
I wouldn't want him on my team for two reasons: We have Lewandowski and we play a high octane press. Lewandowski at this point is the better all around player and Ronaldo is poison to a functioning press.

I wouldn't want him on our team for the simple reason that his wages are too high to a degree that makes them impossible to integrate into an even halfway practicable wage structure.

The reasons you give are true, too, but are secondary problems after the wage imbalance.

 

[NicolaSacco]

No he is replying to the poster who compared him to Dennis.

He used the phase ‘seems better to me’. If that’s not a comparison I don’t know what is!

 

[goptun]

You're too inept to make use of a vintage powerfull forward. Blame him for our malady.

And we used to think we're the best fans in the world.

We used to laugh at rawk but at least they really treat their legend right

I don't get this. Does saying you don't think Ronaldo is the correct choice to start every game for us suddenly mean we treat our legends badly? Does it make us shit fans? I keep seeing this being said and I find it really fecking bizarre.

 

[ESR10]

No place for him in the Arsenal team. I was a fan of Wenger old policy when he didnt wanted to give contract to 30+ old players.
They cost a lot, makes a lot of noise and deliver little

 

[balaks]

Trying hard to swallow this post without typing a snarky reply involving the words "Spurs" and "Kane".

Gulp.

Finding it hard to swallow why a Bayern fan would be concerned about my opinion

 

[do.ob]

He's a good finisher still, but your team will suffer in basically any other aspect of play for it, then you have to factor in his wages and his enormous ego, that seemingly prohibits any kind of lesser role that would be more appropriate for his age. I don't think it's worth it and interestingly enough United have been scoring significantly less goals per game in the PL since he joined.

 

[Sky1981]

Ronaldo problem is that our team is so broken that we can't afford to service him properly.

If we have a working 2008 team we would have been a contender at least, with 1999 team we would have too.

Ronnie isn't the problem, he can't press and can't play intensively as he was years ago, he's 36. But a proper functioning team would get better out of him. And let's not pretend he hold the team back excuses, we're not actually prime tiki taka Barcelona who needs a constantly on the run striker. Our team is barely functional a target man / poacher like Ronaldo is the simplest tool we can use, and even then we can't get the best of him because our midfield is non existent, and our wingers are so bad at creating chances.

A.k.A it's really not his fault we suck, he did his best, he runs, and his quality isn't in decline, although probably his stamina is. If we can afford to pass him the ball he will make it count, alas we can't.

We suck therefore Ronaldo suck. It's not the other way around.

 

[Brwned]

I would have sign him. I would have loved the first few days. The comunicado oficial, his arrival in Madrid and a mega presentation with a full Bernabéu.
I would fully enjoy the story of the prodigal son, although I also think I would start to protest and complain after the second game, seeing that he is 37 years old, that it is a step backwards, that everything has to gravitate around him, that he slows down the development of other players.
At this point in the season there would already be two sides. The faithful, those of "always in your boat", "I still trust" that they would be looking for tactical solutions to accommodate him and the others, who would be blaming the president and saying that nostalgia is not good

Yep that’s pretty much my take at this point. Not surprised that most opposition fans say no when taking into account his cost, status, ego and their alternatives.

Yeah, I think that's the problem with the expectations around him.

To be honest I thought he would do a lot worse but from the very first games he is the only one looking likely to score in a team that's not performing all that great. I also think he's better playing more advance because if he drops back to carry the ball then there's no one making the runs or putting himself in scoring positions. If you expect him to drop down, pick up the ball dribble a few players, then make a key pass while also being the scorer then that's just illogical; but still he has been one of the best performers.

In an hypothetical scenario I'd take him back for Hazard.

If you give him the ball with his back to goal 9 times out of 10 he passes back where it came from, often sloppily, killing all momentum.

It’s not about expecting him to pick up the ball, spin, beat two men, play the killer ball and then get on the end of it. Most of the time he can’t even get to step two of that sequence.

And it’s not like he’s finding pockets to pick it up on the front foot and drive forward. Him dropping back to carry the ball isn’t a problem because there’s no-one there at the end of it, it’s because he doesn’t do anything when he has it. His contributions are so limited.

 

[Redlyn]

If we were one of the top clubs fighting for Europe/title, no, aside from City. If we were someone in the bottom half, yes.

So basically a resounding yes.

 

[FootballHQ]

Of course but we are bottom half like a few non United fans on here.

I said right at the start he'd obviously score goals but it would also pan out much like it did at Juve in the last season e.g. he gets his 20 + but they just about scrape into the top 4. Really in the balance for Man. United currently so could be worse than predicted.

I think for non United fans it was partly the OTT hype when he signed, not so much the figure given his world wide pull but seems nobody much had actually watched him for Juve and Portugal in recent times and there was perception in media he'd just come back and do what he was doing between 2006-09 e.g. dribbling past many opponents from out wide and then smashing it in from 25 yards when those who watch know he hasn't been that type of CF for many years.

I think really the harmony has been destabilized more. I assume the plan in mid August from United POV was to play Sancho right, Rashford left when fit and give Greenwood a proper run as CF. Who knows if that would've got you higher in the league but given you weren't in for any other forward OGS was clearly happy to go with that combination.

Then he was signed and suddenly Greenwood has to be shifted back to right permanently, Sancho goes left or into the wilderness and Fernandes output rapidly decreases (correct me if I'm wrong but same issues with Portugal in recent times).

So guess we'll see in a few months if it was all worth it? Perhaps if Ronaldo rolls back the years in key games and gets you to CL SF or even final against the odds it will have been but long shot at present.

Certainly not if you go from 2nd or even 3rd in 19/20 to 5th or 6th.

 

[padr81]

I was disappointed when we didn't get him start of the season but being hugely honest kind of glad we didn't get him now. Not that I'd say we dodged a bullet, he's still a fine player and would score 20 league goals at City, but he offers so little else and when he doesn't score seems non-existent during games. I also think pre-Christmas it affected Bruno who seemed to constantly look for him when their were better options.

He's done slightly less than I expected at United on the whole but has still been pretty good. I think he's regressed a bit more than I thought before coming. Still a fine player who'd improve any teams bar City and Liverpool.

 

[Acheron]

Yep that’s pretty much my take at this point. Not surprised that most opposition fans say no when taking into account his cost, status, ego and their alternatives.



If you give him the ball with his back to goal 9 times out of 10 he passes back where it came from, often sloppily, killing all momentum.

It’s not about expecting him to pick up the ball, spin, beat two men, play the killer ball and then get on the end of it. Most of the time he can’t even get to step two of that sequence.

And it’s not like he’s finding pockets to pick it up on the front foot and drive forward. Him dropping back to carry the ball isn’t a problem because there’s no-one there at the end of it, it’s because he doesn’t do anything when he has it. His contributions are so limited.

Well, we're a better team than United and have been for quite a while and Ronaldo, along other of players that still play for us, contributed a lot to be in that position. My take is that you could hypothetically sign Mbappe or Haaland and you would still struggle against to create chances for your strikers.

I'm also saying I would have him back in the context we're already carrying a lot more useless players in big wages in the likes of Hazard and Bale. I would swap those two for Varane and Ronaldo in an instant.

But yeah I get the main point, if we had to rely on a 36 year old, or something, Ronaldo on it's last legs to carry us through the season in all competitions then yeah, we would be in deep trouble for being in that position in the first place. Even in his last few seasons for us it was already a problem the guy wanted to play every single game and Real Madrid always made deep runs into the UCL, along with other competitions and him also playing a lot for Portugal meant he was already burn out in the last months of every season. It's a miracle he's still playing at his current age really.

So from what I remember he became more decisive for the team once he was better managed in terms of spreading out his minutes. Like allowing him to rest at the beginning of the season, not playing every single game he was fit and that allowed him to close the seasons in better shape. That's not something every team can afford, except for the big clubs (in theory) as they're supposed to have competent world class players in key positions. So I'd have him at his age to be part of the squad, would be more useful than other 'stars' we have that are only passengers and of course he would need to rotate or have more of a role coming as a sub.

But this is just hypothetical and my opinion, of course I'm not considering his wages or anything like that but we're Real Madrid and for Ronaldo I don't think he's gonna be playing for a lot longer. He's going to retire very soon, son long term I don't see having him as a problem.

 

[MichaelRed]

I love how the thread is asking non-United supporters whether or not they'd take Ronaldo but yet most of the posts are United fans shitting on Ronaldo. You lot really are a bunch of sad twats.

 

[1950]

If he lowered his wage demands to around £15k a week, yeah, I'd take him. He would make a fine Livaja backup.

 

[njred]

I think the whole Ronaldo signing was something that was a no win situation for united in retrospect. If you didn’t sign him chances are he could be at City right now winning everything in sight. Even if he didn’t fit in at City it really wouldn’t make a difference since the team is very good. I don’t think united could live with that scenerio so they gambled that the squad was good enough to compete for the title with Ronaldo on board. Problem was you didn’t have a proper manager at the time and the squad was overrated. So here you are with an older superstar who might have to be let go to let the team move forward.

 

[The Boy]

I think the biggest issue is not Ronaldo, but the fact that United had never planned to have him back, he was basically an impulse purchase.

I'd have him in my team if I could have a bit if time to plan for him and build my strategy and tactics around him, I mean he is right up there, who wouldn't want Ronaldo even at 36.

But that didn't happen at United he was just dropped in and seemed completely at odds with United's long term football plan, but unsurprisingly completely in step with United's commercial needs.

 

[tenpoless]

Yes. Especially if it's a swap with Maguire.

 

[KirkDuyt]

I would honest to god not want the self obsessed prick at Feyenoord. Give me my beloven Bryan Linssen instead.

 

[Red00012]

Haaland would struggle in this team

 

[ForeverRed1]

Off topic but I simply cannot understand why the crowd at the away grounds would boo him when United come visiting. They are witnessing a GOAT advancing towards the end of his career and it’s a real privilege to still be able to see him play before he retires. Are they jealous of his achievements or something? Maybe i am thinking from a United fan point of view but I’m just baffled whenever he touches the ball and i hear boos ringing. I know i wouldn’t boo him myself if he had chosen to sign and play for City

i think it’s more to distract/annoy him/put him off more than anything. Plus he’s not always the most likeable guy. I’m pretty sure most people are excited for him to visit their stadium and say they have seen him play.

 

[RobinLFC]

i think it’s more to distract/annoy him/put him off more than anything. Plus he’s not always the most likeable guy. I’m pretty sure most people are excited for him to visit their stadium and say they have seen him play.

Exactly. I've never done that to any player but I could see the reasoning behind it, just make the most important player as uncomfortable as possible (not that he cares anyway probably). They're not mutually exclusive, you can have a ton of respect for him, even go to that game specifically for him, and still boo him if you think that would give your own team an edge.

 

[Brwned]

Well, we're a better team than United and have been for quite a while and Ronaldo, along other of players that still play for us, contributed a lot to be in that position. My take is that you could hypothetically sign Mbappe or Haaland and you would still struggle against to create chances for your strikers.

I'm also saying I would have him back in the context we're already carrying a lot more useless players in big wages in the likes of Hazard and Bale. I would swap those two for Varane and Ronaldo in an instant.

But yeah I get the main point, if we had to rely on a 36 year old, or something, Ronaldo on it's last legs to carry us through the season in all competitions then yeah, we would be in deep trouble for being in that position in the first place. Even in his last few seasons for us it was already a problem the guy wanted to play every single game and Real Madrid always made deep runs into the UCL, along with other competitions and him also playing a lot for Portugal meant he was already burn out in the last months of every season. It's a miracle he's still playing at his current age really.

So from what I remember he became more decisive for the team once he was better managed in terms of spreading out his minutes. Like allowing him to rest at the beginning of the season, not playing every single game he was fit and that allowed him to close the seasons in better shape. That's not something every team can afford, except for the big clubs (in theory) as they're supposed to have competent world class players in key positions. So I'd have him at his age to be part of the squad, would be more useful than other 'stars' we have that are only passengers and of course he would need to rotate or have more of a role coming as a sub.

But this is just hypothetical and my opinion, of course I'm not considering his wages or anything like that but we're Real Madrid and for Ronaldo I don't think he's gonna be playing for a lot longer. He's going to retire very soon, son long term I don't see having him as a problem.

I'd guess you haven't watched him much this season which is why you're talking about hypotheticals and statuses. It has nothing to do with relying on Ronaldo to carry us through the season, that's almost the opposite of my point. Literally no-one expects him to pick the ball up deep, beat a few players, make the killer pass and then get on the end of a chance in a single game, never mind most games. People aren't questioning his contribution because he isn't delivering on that imaginary expectation.

 

[Berbasbullet]

Off topic but I simply cannot understand why the crowd at the away grounds would boo him when United come visiting. They are witnessing a GOAT advancing towards the end of his career and it’s a real privilege to still be able to see him play before he retires. Are they jealous of his achievements or something? Maybe i am thinking from a United fan point of view but I’m just baffled whenever he touches the ball and i hear boos ringing. I know i wouldn’t boo him myself if he had chosen to sign and play for City

They all boo him but whip their phones out when he’s lining up for a free kick. It’s the modern football fan right there.

 

[ForeverRed1]

Exactly. I've never done that to any player but I could see the reasoning behind it, just make the most important player as uncomfortable as possible (not that he cares anyway probably). They're not mutually exclusive, you can have a ton of respect for him, even go to that game specifically for him, and still boo him if you think that would give your own team an edge.

id go as far to say it’s a compliment.

 

[giorno]

His individual greatness is not quite what it was even a few years ago, and his limitations and idiosincrasies mean his presence creates tactical/structural imbalances that need to be compensated for by other players. That said, there is little evidence pointing to United being worse with him on the pitch. He's mostly done well if not spectacularly on a team that appears completely lost. Would be interesting to see United going through a run of games without him, that would give a better picture

Last season juventus were dire without him, only at the end of the season they started getting a few results in his absence and it mostly came down to Chiesa's form

In conclusion: still one of the best players in the world, but definitely no longer a no brainer, sign him and figure it out later, type of superstar. For the big sides, the ones who aim for trophies, his worth is judged on an individual case, based off the players already at the club and the level of the team. Bayern, Liverpool, Real Madrid and PSG wouldn't want him, they're better off without him. City and Chelsea i'm not sure, though City are making a strong case against him. For everyone else, he's probably still worth it