CRISTIANO RONALDO LEAVES MANCHESTER UNITED WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT
Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo’s future is up in the air after the club confirmed via statement on Tuesday that the 37-year-old had left the club with immediate effect.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect,” a statement from Manchester United read. “The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances and wishes him and his family well for the future. Everyone at Manchester United remains focused on continuing the team’s progress under Erik Ten Hag and working together to deliver success on the pitch.”
United had initiated legal plans to release the Portuguese international after his explosive interview with The Sun’s Piers Morgan that aired last week and have now confirmed his immediate exit.
Following the news, Cristiano Ronaldo released a statement on his social media pages that confirmed his exit from the club. The statement read: “Following conversations with Manchester United, we have mutually agreed to end our contract early. I love Manchester United and I love the fans. That will never ever change. However, it feels like the right time for me to seek a new challenge. I wish the team every success for the remainder of the season and for the future.”
37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo only returned to Manchester United 15 months ago after leaving for Real Madrid in 2009 and is now on his way out again. The five-time Ballon D’Or winner’s second spell at the club has been tumultuous to say the least, despite the 6’1 forward notching 32 goal involvements including 27 goals and 5 assists in 54 club appearances.
The international all-time top goalscorer is now away at the World Cup in Qatar with Portugal and is expected to reveal where his club future lies after the tournament. Ronaldo is now the only player at the World Cup without a football club.
Manchester United legend and former defender Rio Ferdinand reacted to the news on Twitter and said that the p arting was “best for both parties.”
Ronaldo spoke publicly for the first time on Monday since his interview last week when he turned up unprompted at Portugal’s news conference at their camp outside Doha, Qatar. Ronaldo said that he was “bulletproof” and “ironclad” regarding his Piers Morgan Uncensored interview and urged reporters to direct any questions they had about the interview to him and not the rest of the squad ahead of Portugal’s Group H opener against Ghana on Thursday.
“In my life, timing is always timing,” Ronaldo said. “From your side, it’s easy to look at how we can choose timing. Sometimes you write truths, sometimes you write lies. The timing for me is my timing. I don’t have to worry about what others think. I talk when I want to. I’m totally convinced this won’t have any influence on the team. Every player, manager, president, and kit man, they all know who I am. What I think. They’ve known me since I was 11 years old. They won’t be influenced by what people say or write.”
“The [Portugal] squad is ready, well, and confident. This group is united and keen to win this competition. Everybody wants to play and this is something I like to see in a squad. The ambition is really high. Therefore I have no doubt that this episode, not only this one that happened to me but also there will be other episodes involving other players about training or something personal with their families or clubs. These might shake the player themselves but nothing will shake the squad.”
Ronaldo’s international teammate and Manchester City defender, Ruben Dias echoed his captain’s sentiments and said on Tuesday: “It was important for him to talk, just like everyone else. It’s part of the process and it’s his turn. Cristiano’s case did not affect the national team’s spirit and the work we’ve been doing since the beginning. There’s a lot to be said about this. For us, it’s a topic that was closed from the start.”
The big question for Cristiano Ronaldo now is: what club will he sign with and what’s in store for his future?
Ronaldo is one of the best players in football history and could arguably be the greatest player of all time considering everything he’s achieved in his career. While any football club in the world would be over the moon to have him in his prime, things have changed and plenty of time has passed since Ronaldo hit his top form at Real Madrid. Although still a prolific goalscorer, the 37-year-old is no longer a hot commodity for top clubs all over Europe. Bayern Munich and Chelsea snubbed offers to snatch him up during the summer and are likely to carry on in the same vein now that Ronaldo is a free agent.
With the list of European clubs that want his services getting shorter and shorter, many reckon it’s time for one of the game’s most iconic players to move across the pond and find himself a home in the MLS, but they’d be mistaken. Ronaldo has said time and time again that he wants to play up to 40 years old and even has some people thinking he’s eyeing the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
While the most followed person on Instagram doesn’t need a stage to get traction, Cristiano Ronaldo thrives off of European competition, especially the Champions League and would probably look at teams still playing in the competition. The prolific goal scorer has played for some of the biggest teams in Portugal, England, Spain, and Italy and is likely to test the waters in a fresh country. Ronaldo has in recent years been linked to Germany and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he sets his eyes on North Germany, Borussia Dortmund to be exact.
A historic club with an avid fan base, Borussia Dortmund ticks all the boxes for Cristiano Ronaldo, as the Bundesliga poses a new challenge, and Dortmund can provide regular Champions League football that he craves so much. An incredible team, Borussia Dortmund is in need of goals after the club sold Erling Haaland to Manchester City in the summer, and Ronaldo can provide those in spades. Dortmund would provide Ronaldo with the prospect of facing Bayern Munich every year and the team is still in the Champions League after qualifying for the Round of 16 last month. Dortmund plays Chelsea in February and many people would see that as an opportunity for Ronaldo to get “sweet revenge” after the London team snubbed him in the summer.
While we might have to wait a few weeks to find out which team Ronaldo signs with, many can’t help but feel like the decision is already made and it’s just a matter of “timing”, like the Madeira-born forward alluded to in his presser. Ronaldo will hit the pitch for the first time since being released by Manchester United on Thursday as Portugal take on Ghana at 11 am ET.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Анна Нэсси. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.