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Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal flag

2021-22 Performances

View full 2021-22 profile

5.8 Season Average Rating
Appearances
38
Goals
24
Assists
3
Yellow cards
9
Status
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UpWithRivers said:
Where would he go and get paid the wages he does now? He will stay and get his last huge wage bill I think. No other top team will have him.
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Pure guess and I don't pretend to know how these things work but couldn't the club and him just mutually terminate the contract considering the astronomical wages he's on, providing he doesn't join a direct rival? The club would save a huge amount of money on wages and he could then leave and go where he wants (Sporting, America, PSG... if Messi leaves).

I'm pretty sure this version of Ronaldo isn't going to have people bidding in excess of even 30 million for his services. A free transfer however sweetens the deal.
 
Matt851 said:
So many seem struggle to grasp that he isn't the player he once was and act like the rest of the team is holding him back
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That's pretty unfair for his teammates to be honest, he could perform or be more decisive with other teammates, but I don't like reducing things in football so much as to plainly attack an entire set of 20 players as being the main reason one other dude isn't performing more, that kind of extremism will always irk me no matter my thoughts on Cristiano, but it's just as extremist on the other side like someone above you saying he's been a disaster with 1 stat padding goal out of 18, that's having absolutely no appreciation for every time he's been important for team winning points, many times at the bell or very close to it, some people act like he's contributed nothing when in all fairness he's been fundamental for the points many times throughout the season.

There's no middle ground with him, he's either a god or finished, and most likely the truth is that he's somewhere in the middle at this point in his career. It's not like he's scored 4 goals and assisted zero, like other CFs United have had for 2 or 3 years at the club. He's done way more than many others in 3/4 of a season. Plus it's not like he doesn't care. He clearly does. And it's not like he's scored 50 goals and singlehandedly turned the game around each time on his own by dribbling past 3 players as if he was 22 years old, either.

This is most likely the most bipolar thread on Caf ever since the season started.
 
Bebestation said:
Ronaldo was getting pissed off for the first game he started on the sub bench.
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He also came off, sat down on the steps and had an argument with Ragnick stating in front of everyone “why couldn’t one of the young players have come off instead” (ie Elanga) which was completely out of line despite the usual defenders thinking all was good. So I’m sceptical. But let’s see. He can still potentially be an asset going forward.
 
Mickeza said:
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As i said in my previous post I can see something happening where he leaves but I think if he's used intelligently I don't see why he can't be a valuable player. If he realizes his limitations and strengths then i'd be really happy for him to stay.
 
Ronaldo would benefit a lot if United brings a new striker CF type player. That can make him a much more valiable player, playing on his good position (not CF at all). A partnership for some games I say
 
Skyhightrees said:
Ronaldo would benefit a lot if United brings a new striker CF type player. That can make him a much more valiable player, playing on his good position (not CF at all). A partnership for some games I say
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Absolutely, I don't think he works out well as a peon lost among the CBs as a fixed number 9, at least he'd work better centrally to the left, with someone else alongside him. I didn't dislike some of the things I saw between him and Cavani, but Cavani seemingly can't be relied to play consistently...

Plus, the team then ends up channelling the game wide, then into crosses, but the crosses are awful, and United players don't seem to understand most of the time there needs more than 1 player in the box, and it just seems to not contribute to a better attacking system. Ronaldo ends up not being able to contribute much either as most of the crosses he's dead with the 2 CBs being free to mark him up, so he ends up not being as good as well churned into a central number 9, and will be pretty much missing all game (he ends up dropping back to participate often in many games due to what I described above). I'd personally like a more fluid front three, specially as you guys say Bruno could be tried as a false 9 as well, and he could fill the position on one of the 2 CFs drifting wider or dropping back. I don't know how that'd work out on the defensive phase though, you guys could define and analyse that phase better than me.

Edit: I think not playing him alone as CF would allow for more stuff like this, which is a good example for what I wanted to put across above:
 
Irwin99 said:
As i said in my previous post I can see something happening where he leaves but I think if he's used intelligently I don't see why he can't be a valuable player. If he realizes his limitations and strengths then i'd be really happy for him to stay.
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He's one of the highest paid players in the world and the highest paid in the league. I agree that he's best as a rotation option or perhaps coming off the bench, but his salary makes that impossible and financially idiotic.
 
Irwin99 said:
As i said in my previous post I can see something happening where he leaves but I think if he's used intelligently I don't see why he can't be a valuable player. If he realizes his limitations and strengths then i'd be really happy for him to stay.
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For me it's not "if he is used intelligently" - but more if "he is ok being used intelligently".
 
Gehrman said:
He's one of the highest paid players in the world and the highest paid in the league. I agree that he's best as a rotation option or perhaps coming off the bench, but his salary makes that impossible and financially idiotic.
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Yup. This is basically what it came down to for me when he was coming back to United. Is he worth the money, is he good enough still to justify his obvious downsides and detrimental impact on aspects of the team and have we got the set up to suit him.

The answer to all of those is no. The only one that is arguable is whether he is still good enough. In a team that can utilise him perfectly, yes. In this United side? No.

The best thing that can happen this summer is for him to move elsewhere. Both club and player can save face by saying that he wants to play in the CL in his last seasons as a professional.
 
mctrials23 said:
Yup. This is basically what it came down to for me when he was coming back to United. Is he worth the money, is he good enough still to justify his obvious downsides and detrimental impact on aspects of the team and have we got the set up to suit him.

The answer to all of those is no. The only one that is arguable is whether he is still good enough. In a team that can utilise him perfectly, yes. In this United side? No.

The best thing that can happen this summer is for him to move elsewhere. Both club and player can save face by saying that he wants to play in the CL in his last seasons as a professional.
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Spot on.

This is why I didn't want him in our team this year in the hardest league in the world, I wanted to see the team we had last year try take a step up & fail rather than try to fit a 37 year old Ronaldo playing everygame because we are simply not good enough or well managed for that. You can't then keep a player many people think as one of the GOATS on the subs bench watching the match to make things harder.

Greenwood's mistakes probably cost us more and took away some of the pressure in the end.
 
Bebestation said:
You can't then keep a player many people think as one of the GOATS on the subs bench watching the match to make things harder.
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We saw that in the few games Ronaldo wasn't played from the start the commentators were all saying "you've got to play Ronaldo" and even when he was stinking up the joint for 88 minutes but popped up with a winning goal they would be signing his praises. "Thats why you play Ronaldo".

Or, you know, you could play someone who contributes more for the other 88 minutes are perhaps, just perhaps you wouldn't need a 89th minute goal.

Seems to be common thinking that if you remove a player from a team you just remove their goals completely and there is no possibility that whoever replaced them might score more or contribute more to other people scoring.
 
I guess Ronaldo will stay next season too, because, once he weighs in on his potential new employers, he will realize that this is by far the best club he can play in, with all its flaws.

Ronaldo is also flawed player, I'm not sure if he's aware how badly he has tanked recently.

Take a look at what clubs might consider him. In England there is obviously noone that would satisfy Ronaldo's ambition and those who would have much better options (Chelsea, City, Liverpool, possibly Tottenham).

In Italy, Inter and Milan aren't adding another veteran to their forward lines, if anything, they are looking to go for revamp. Juventus have finally strung some semblance of a team again, and of course, for obvious reasons he is not going there.

Real Madrid and Barcelona, of course not, and Atletico too. They want workhorses all over the pitch, absolutely no way for them to incorporate Ronaldo. It worked last term with Suarez, this year his role has been reduced and he is two years younger than Ronaldo too and much more willing to sacrifice for the team.

It really only boils down to PSG, if they want to keep building circus instead of football club, Sporting Lisbon or MLS.

Champions League spot in meaningful clubs is completely out of Ronaldo's reach, so he is going to do his best to stay here, and it will then pretty much hang onto how much ten Hag really wants him out of club.
 
Gehrman said:
He's one of the highest paid players in the world and the highest paid in the league. I agree that he's best as a rotation option or perhaps coming off the bench, but his salary makes that impossible and financially idiotic.
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I think it's a case of making the best out of a highly questionable decision on his contract/signing here. I can see people on here being upset when we can't unload Martial either thanks to his wages and he stays next season.

As i said, i wouldn't be surprised if he leaves in the summer what with his obsession with the champions league football and maybe the club and the player might terminate the contract providing he doesn't go to a rival?

If he stays and that quoted source above is accurate, Ronaldo playing once a week would benefit his fitness and longevity hugely. Also, think he'd benefit having another striker alongside him.
 
bakalhau said:
Absolutely, I don't think he works out well as a peon lost among the CBs as a fixed number 9, at least he'd work better centrally to the left, with someone else alongside him. I didn't dislike some of the things I saw between him and Cavani, but Cavani seemingly can't be relied to play consistently...

Plus, the team then ends up channelling the game wide, then into crosses, but the crosses are awful, and United players don't seem to understand most of the time there needs more than 1 player in the box, and it just seems to not contribute to a better attacking system. Ronaldo ends up not being able to contribute much either as most of the crosses he's dead with the 2 CBs being free to mark him up, so he ends up not being as good as well churned into a central number 9, and will be pretty much missing all game (he ends up dropping back to participate often in many games due to what I described above). I'd personally like a more fluid front three, specially as you guys say Bruno could be tried as a false 9 as well, and he could fill the position on one of the 2 CFs drifting wider or dropping back. I don't know how that'd work out on the defensive phase though, you guys could define and analyse that phase better than me.

Edit: I think not playing him alone as CF would allow for more stuff like this, which is a good example for what I wanted to put across above:
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Exactly. If you wanna see how Ronaldo wasn't as good at CF even in his prime, search for his copa del rey final vs Barcelona where he popped up with a winning header. Compared to his usual output that time, he was anonymous that game. For Zidane he played there one or two games and Zidane understood it wasn't really feasible. I don't get Ronaldo at CF, he has never been good there, just more proof he didn't fit United. Even at Juve he was deployed with Morata or Dybala
 
Irwin99 said:
I think it's a case of making the best out of a highly questionable decision on his contract/signing here. I can see people on here being upset when we can't unload Martial either thanks to his wages and he stays next season.

As i said, i wouldn't be surprised if he leaves in the summer what with his obsession with the champions league football and maybe the club and the player might terminate the contract providing he doesn't go to a rival?

If he stays and that quoted source above is accurate, Ronaldo playing once a week would benefit his fitness and longevity hugely. Also, think he'd benefit having another striker alongside him.
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Who's going to take him? If he wishes to play Champions League with the likes of Sevilla, than fair play to him.
 
If this is the kind of behaviour and drive that the dressing room needed to take it to the next level is there any surprise we fell apart this year? Add over a million quid to the wage bill and then proceed to fall apart. Obviously that’s not all on Ronaldo but this year has been all about Ronaldo and about player power finally beginning to publicly eat itself, for better or worse. I think it’s better for the fans to know what they are really supporting. I hope Ronadlo leaves this summer and like Juve we start a genuine rebuild with improvers who will kill to get to the next level and run like feck for each other
 
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Bosnian_fan said:
Who's going to take him? If he wishes to play Champions League with the likes of Sevilla, than fair play to him.
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As i said, if the club terminated his contracted by mutual consent/let him go on a free he'd have a few choices i'd imagine, especially if he took a pay cut . It's also been rumored that he could go back to Sporting one day where he'd probably more often than not get a CL spot.
 
He needs to go at the end if the season straight after pogba.

I would say he has been more detrimental than pogba who at least doesn't throw tantrums or throw other team mates under the bus in interviews or no show for matches and training.

Ronaldo and messi are not worth the hassle anymore, they aren't worth their wages, they cause unwelcome drama and the whole team has to be worked around their constant depleting qualities and neither contribute off the ball. It's no surprise that the two teams in Europe that are more focused on the brand at the club rather than excelling as a club in a footballing perspective.
 
Man Utd 3:2 Norwich
Don't forget to come here and say he's finished next time he doesn't perform guys.

If he's finished then a lot of other United players are walking graves.
 
The manager who plays Haller, largely a premier league flop, will decide to not play Cristiano motherfecking Ronaldo.

Yeah okay.
 
I have said it many times that we don't use him to his full potential, not at all. Incredible performance today.
 
Please, footballing Gods, let him win some top stuff here. He can't return for nothing.
 
It's just Norwich, but still, it's Norwich for other players and they are shite regardles.
 
Is the narrative about him being the main problem still going around somewhere?

It's embarrasing how the rest of the team constantly fails to elevate to match his level. If you say getting him to United was a flop, it's only because rest of the players failed him miserably.
 
Days like today put such a big smile on my face, I know he's not what he was but to see 38 year old Ronaldo score his 20th? goal of the season is an achievement.
 
21 goals in a really crap season for the club. The guy could easily get 30+ goals a year in the right team and if he can understand that he can't play every game.
 
yeah we beat norwich but does he not know that scoring headed goals direct from corners and scoring direct freekicks is haram?
 
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