Aguero went from scoring 23 to scoring 6 the next year then having to retire.
Tevez went to scoring 29 to never scoring more than 10 in a season in a terrible league.
Van Nistelrooy went from scoring 20 to then being pretty much finished as a player.
There are so many examples. At a certain point every player tips over the edge where they just don't have it anymore.
Ronaldo's generally poor performances last season were pretty telling. He has lost his pace, he gets outmuscled worryingly easily, he doesn't pass the ball well, he can't take a player on.
The point is this is not some personal vendetta, it is genuine frustration at him playing badly for us.
And still, look at the amount of points his goals gave us, more than any other PL player, last season. Sure others pressed more, were more integral part of attacking. Still, Ronaldo provided a good number of goals, mroe than almost any other player, those goals were mostly of an extreme amount of technical quality, and he gave more points with his goals to his team than other players which scored less, but provided more in other areas. Stupid amount of game leading or match winning goals too. Don't need to talk about CL either, we all know how that went in the group stage. General decline has been apparent, specially last season, specially as phyisical levels fluctuate more and more with age.
There's also a reason the debate is still so extreme in here. It's because for everything negative that he provides, he's still providing a lot of positive things that at least leave doubt and subjectivity in the air as to whether he's still helpful or not, because it's still not a clear cut scenario. When he plays badly, he plays badly and it really starts to show what he has lost with age, when he doesn't, my god, it really is a spectacle, and he ends up being extremely helpful in the team getting results from game to game. I'd say it's pretty freaking good for a guy of his age, while most players are done at age 33, that's he's still at a stage where a fanbase still can't coherently decide he's done for, and the debate still rages on.
Last time people called him finished, I said it wasn't time yet for me to acknolwedge that, and one month later he was playing at new high levels and scoring amazing goals and putting great performances against Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Norwich. I still don't think he's done, too early to call, slow start to the season, sure, but I don't think he's done yet as a football player. Sure father time is coming quickly, and the rug pull could be quick because you are right, that's usually how it goes, but I think Ronaldo could be an asset to a lot of teams out there, still. In my own perfect little world, I'd like him to be helpful in United, since he's a player I love and United is a club I adore since I was 9 years old, and I'd rather see him not playing CL and be here and help United out in whatever ways he and Ten Hag think he can help. I don't want to sound like I disagree with you, I just attribute the slow start to his physical levels which will take more and more time to reach perfection as age goes on, but once he picks up he'll be back to the kind of games I mentioned above. On everything else I mean yeah, you're generally right. If that's what we get by the end of this season (not now at the start), then I'll have no qualms thinking he's done as a main man in a top club. Everything has a beggining and an end, and that's part of life.
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