To the surprise of nobody, Cristiano Ronaldo has kept a very close eye on the current plight of his former club Manchester United.
Ronaldo rose to fame at Old Trafford in the 2000s before returning for a brief second stint during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tenure. It means he has experienced the club at the height of its glory under Sir Alex Ferguson, winning a Champions League trophy, and seen some of the ugliness of their post-Fergie identity crisis.
At the 2024 Global Soccer Awards, where he was named Best Middle Eastern Player for his prolific exploits at Al Nassr, Ronaldo spoke about the situation in Manchester as the Red Devils endure a rough set of results while adjusting to new coach Ruben Amorim — Ronaldo’s compatriot and fellow Sporting CP favourite.
Ronaldo on Manchester United’s struggles
“The Premier League is the most difficult league in the world,” Ronaldo said.
“All the teams are good, all the teams they fight, all the teams run. All the players are strong.
“Football is different right now – no easy games anymore.”
Ronaldo then went to a rather peculiar analogy to describe the United situation in more depth.
He continued: “I said this one year and a half ago and I will continue to say it: the problem is not the coaches.
“I always give this example, it is like the aquarium. If you have the fish inside and he is sick, and you take him out and fix the problem. If you put him in the aquarium they will be sick again.
“The problem of Manchester United is not only the coach. It is much more than that.”
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Ronaldo mentions possibly ‘owning’ Manchester United one day
Given Ronaldo’s wealth, his off-the-pitch business ventures and the example set by fellow United alumnus David Beckham with MLS club Inter Miami, it’s pretty easy to envisage CR7 one day having a stake in a top football side.
And at the awards, he touched upon the scenario as he continued to set the footballing world to rights.
“If I will be the owner of the club, I will make the things clear and adjust what I think is bad there,” he said.
“I am still very young, I have so many plans and dreams ahead but, mark my words, I will be the owner at the club for sure.”
Cristiano Ronaldo comments on Ruben Amorim
The forward also sent words of encouragement Amorim’s way, adding: “He did a fantastic job in Portugal with my Sporting.
“The Premier League is a different beast. It will be tough.
“The storm will continue but the storm will finish and the sun will rise.
“Fingers crossed that things will be good with him and I hope the best for Manchester United because this is a club that I still love.”
MORE: Ruben Amorim names one United player who sets “an example”
