Premier League: Cristiano Ronaldo interview (Warning! It's another Messi V Ronaldo thread)

I feel old; I remember his debut, and now he's giving the 'kids these days' speech.

It was a slick interview. Hit all the right notes.

In fairness to him, very few players have worked as hard as him in the modern game, he has well earned his right to deliver that speech.
 
kouroux said:
It's a reality for sure but it doesn't make it the right one. Besides Ronaldo is still performing at a good level this season,better than most of his teammates if not all of them bar DDG so what's the excuse for not listening to him ?
Are our players that deluded into thinking there is nothing he could teach them ?
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The man himself says seniority counts, listen to people with experience. His performances are almost irrelevant.
 
Imagine getting to play with Ronaldo, even playing in the same relative position as him, getting the chance to learn from an actual contender for the best player to ever play football, and you don't hang on his every word. I'd be following him home with a notepad, how ignorant and egotistical do you have to be to not do that? He can play like absolute shit for the whole season and not score a single goal from now until May, every player in the squad should still be learning from him.
 
Wilt said:
If you can’t see the difference in class between De Gea and Ronaldo….. :lol:
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You seem to have touched a raw nerve somewhere. :lol: A man who can play like that at the top of his profession at his age is a world class professional I agree.
 
kouroux said:
Absolutely agree. If our players are truly like that then honestly we'll get nowhere with Rangnick or any other coach.
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Exactly, you need to be open to ideas to accept them. Ronaldo himself, with all his ego, was famously coached fairly intensively within the squad when he arrived. And he took it on board.
 
He's right but it's the sad state of football now because of how much money goes into it. I remember Danny Murphy saying in an interview (and bear in mind he retired a while back) a young player at Pool backchatted a manager in front of everyone and told him something along the lines of the manager would get sacked before his contract ended. Give an ~18 year old millions and guarantee that income for 4 or 5 years and you're fecked unless you have complete control. Ronaldo used to get kicked all over the park in training and worked his arse off.
 
Some of the tweets are taken out of context, I suggest to watch through the whole thing.
But some key points:
1. When he said about younger generation not accepting criticism, he clarify later on that he not referring to players here.
2. He also said that starting with himself that needs to improve
3. Also mentality and ability to adapt to the game is more important than the system.
4. On the part of saying he knows what to do, if taken into context. It just means he not the coach and would not be good if he 'ethical' for him to say what to change and he knows what he would do.

Nothing he said was wrong or controversial. Basically he said need to change to more positive mindset first. He didn't slag off any of the squad, he said he believe in the potential of the squad but something needs to change.
 
Wilt said:
If you can’t see the difference in class between De Gea and Ronaldo….. :lol:
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Ladron de redcafe said:
More Balón dors. More Golden boots. More trophies.

Who cares, and how does that answer my question or give merit to yours?
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Why do people insist on making broad discussions into a tedious game of Top Trumps or a Twitter thread? It's not great for people trying to actually discuss things.
 
That's a great interview, he spoke so well. Despite inevitable attempts to sensationalise what he said, he struck the perfect tone. Having him in the dressing room should be a massive boon to every player at the club., If they don't listen then there's no hope for them.
 
Focusmate said:
Different times.. the players are multimillionaires at the start if their careers now.
its one of the reasons why the likes of Mourinho dont work anymore.
I think “mentality” will become increasingly important in terms of player attributes. Talent + right mind set or keep well clear.
Not everyone has that fire and determination go succeed in any walk of life, especially when they are set for life in their early 20s
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Yes but Pep's multimillionaires are still playing as if they are not multimillionaires. It depends on the club's mentality. If Woody had sold Pogba when he picked a fight with Jose none of this would have happened. Backing the player over the manager is what bought this disaster.
 
We need more players with his mentality. How many in the squad have a desire to do well and actually know how to get there? Anyone doubting his class and his ability are just as daft as the few blaming Sir Alex for our current problems.
 
stoinz said:
Some of the tweets are taken out of context, I suggest to watch through the whole thing.
But some key points:
1. When he said about younger generation not accepting criticism, he clarify later on that he not referring to players here.
2. He also said that starting with himself that needs to improve
3. Also mentality and ability to adapt to the game is more important than the system.
4. On the part of saying he knows what to do, if taken into context. It just means he not the coach and would not be good if he 'ethical' for him to say what to change and he knows what he would do.

Nothing he said was wrong or controversial. Basically he said need to change to more positive mindset first. He didn't slag off any of the squad, he said he believe in the potential of the squad but something needs to change.
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His communication is spot on tbh. He is delivering a clear message without burning bridges or something. From everything we've been reading with the leaks to the football we see (clear selfishness at key moments during several games) tell us that the chemistry in the team is low sadly
 
miked99 said:
That's a great interview, he spoke so well. Despite inevitable attempts to sensationalise what he said, he struck the perfect tone. Having him in the dressing room should be a massive boon to every player at the club., If they don't listen then there's no hope for them.
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100% this. Rashford, Sancho and Greenwood all need to become a collective sponge and absorb any lessons coming from a true legend and great like Ronaldo. Rooney and Ronaldo benefitted from having United stalwarts and champions in the squad during their young days. It’s unfortunate that we’ve been mediocre for so long that Ronaldo is the only one who could provide some link to the great club we were a decade ago.
 
Deery said:
Does Gabriel Jesus run about all day though?

He doesn’t seem to do that much running to me compared to an average striker.
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You just went with a hunch again didn't you?

Pressing numbers for Ronaldo vs. Jesus:

Pressings per 90:
Ronaldo: 6,28
Jesus: 14,55

Successfull pressings:
Ronaldo: 1,69
Jesus: 3,22

Pressings attacking 3rd:
Ronaldo: 2,84
Jesus: 6,09

Blocks per 90:
Ronaldo: 0,27
Jesus: 1,40

Tackles per 90:
Ronaldo: 0,20
Jesus: 0,91

Interceptions per 90:
Ronaldo: 0,20
Jesus: 0,56

I think it is fair to say that Jesus' (and most other forwards, as you pointed out) defensive workrate makes Ronaldo's defensive workrate look like exactly what it is: Historically low

He should be leading by example on the pitch before he points fingers in front of a camera, so far all team stats show that we're worse with him than without him.
He's scored a non penalty goal every 220 minutes for us in the PL this season, has had the 2nd most shots in the league (3rd highest npxG90, underperforming his npxG by 29,3%), can show for the lowest pressing numbers by any forward in the league since my source started recording this in 2017 and didn't mention his own performances with a single word in the interview. The closest he got to it was "we"...

- He points finger at the youngsters for bad attitude (He might have a point, but this should be a "behind closed doors" matter and it seems like he thinks is above critisism himself)
- "He knows the way"
- He's literally saying we finish top 3 or he's out of here.
- He doesn't even remember Ralphs name....

The caf: "Great interview!" "That is leadership for you!" "My captain!" "That's what a winner sounds like!"

What our young forwards can learn from him is positional awareness, spacial understanding, offensive movement, making positive runs and making themself more available for service. That part of his game is still world class. The rest of his game including his finishing is sadly not up to those standards anymore.

If he wants to finish his career with trophies and glory here, he needs to either step up and change his game completely (talking about wanting to win not accepting to be 7th in an interview when thsat is your reality is not being a winner, winners show they are winners on the pitch) or step down and play a backup role. With him starting every match we're not even playing CL football next season.

Wilt said:
If you can’t see the difference in class between De Gea and Ronaldo….. :lol:
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This season? Yeah, DDG has clearly been the better player between the two.
 
Ladron de redcafe said:
By that logic, Messi is much more of a professional than Ronaldo.

Success (individual in this case) has nothing to do with professionalism. Ronaldo is simply a better player than many others who might be more professional than he is. Gary Neville was perhaps the most professional when he was at the club, but he was limited and was never close to world class player.
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Ronaldo is historically known as the one of the most professional players in football. Trains longer, eats healthier, works on his tactical understanding longer, prepares better etc etc. Many managers and players have said it for years.
 
Fantastic to hear him calling out people. Even though he isn’t the player he once was. I think we are all happy he is here, if anything to improve the mentality of our club.

It’s not just the players that need calling out though. The board have seriously let standards slip and need to back up all their talk about we want to win everything and number 1 club in the world etc
 
He's right, but it's more drama that the club doesn't need right now. These things should be being said behind closed doors. Ronaldo is also not above criticism. He's put in his fair share of shit performances as the rest of them. The only player that probably has the right to say much about his teammates is De Gea.
 
Reapersoul20 said:
Jesus, gowls still blaming Ronaldo ffs :lol:
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I actually don't care who blames who, but why do they have to spoil a new thread with the same nonsense?

Just discuss what he said, not Messi or pressing stats. That nonsense has already spoiled tens of threads. most likely with the same posters saying the exact same thing.
 
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You can bent your last penny our lot with take this badly.
I actually hate this team.
 
It must be abit of a culture shock for him.


Coming back to a club which was renowned for its success, high standards and mentality only to see it has all but gone.
 
I really doubt that today’s Cristiano is a good presence in the dressing room, actually, but the one he can help a lot with is our stagnation in mediocrity. Even though he does it for himself and himself only, he certainly sets very high standards for his teammates and we need a cleanse.
 
Tom Cato said:
Jlingz is a microcompany that's currently ran by two of his friends. During the pandemic they made some facemasks and donated 100% of the proceeds to charity.

It will never, ever stop being annoying to me that fans are so hell bent on being boomers about footballers spending some of their free time on a small hobby.
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I understand what your saying but if he was like Ronaldo (CR7 brand) putting in world class performances then people would have no issue.

The problem a lot of us have with Jesse is he puts in below par performances so quite rightly people are questioning his focus and dedication. Priority for Man Utd players should be getting into the first team, after all that’s his job right? It’s no surprise to see he has failed here when he is not fully focused on football.
 
Beachryan said:
I get his point, but who on Earth are the 'young players' he's referring to? If anything, I'd say our biggest issues are centre back (no youth), right back (AWB isn't that young) and central midfield (no youth).

The areas we're weakest have 'prime age' players. Now, they're clearly not good enough either, but maybe everyone under 30 is now young to Ronnie.

His standards in training have to serve as motivation, surely, regardless of age. I always loved Rio's story about the rondos at United, adn wonder why all that toughness isn't still happening.
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He's talking about mentality, not quality.
 
troylocker said:
You just went with a hunch again didn't you?

Pressing numbers for Ronaldo vs. Jesus:

Pressings per 90:
Ronaldo: 6,28
Jesus: 14,55

Successfull pressings:
Ronaldo: 1,69
Jesus: 3,22

Pressings attacking 3rd:
Ronaldo: 2,84
Jesus: 6,09

Blocks per 90:
Ronaldo: 0,27
Jesus: 1,40

Tackles per 90:
Ronaldo: 0,20
Jesus: 0,91

Interceptions per 90:
Ronaldo: 0,20
Jesus: 0,56

I think it is fair to say that Jesus' (and most other forwards, as you pointed out) defensive workrate makes Ronaldo's defensive workrate look like exactly what it is: Historically low

He should be leading by example on the pitch before he points fingers in front of a camera, so far all team stats show that we're worse with him than without him.
He's scored a non penalty goal every 220 minutes for us in the PL this season, has had the 2nd most shots in the league (3rd highest npxG90, underperforming his npxG by 29,3%), can show for the lowest pressing numbers by any forward in the league since my source started recording this in 2017 and didn't mention his own performances with a single word in the interview. The closest he got to it was "we"...

- He points finger at the youngsters for bad attitude (He might have a point, but this should be a "behind closed doors" matter and it seems like he thinks is above critisism himself)
- "He knows the way"
- He's literally saying we finish top 3 or he's out of here.
- He doesn't even remember Ralphs name....

The caf: "Great interview!" "That is leadership for you!" "My captain!" "That's what a winner sounds like!"

What our young forwards can learn from him is positional awareness, spacial understanding, offensive movement, making positive runs and making themself more available for service. That part of his game is still world class. The rest of his game including his finishing is sadly not up to those standards anymore.

If he wants to finish his career with trophies and glory here, he needs to either step up and change his game completely (talking about wanting to win not accepting to be 7th in an interview when thsat is your reality is not being a winner, winners show they are winners on the pitch) or step down and play a backup role. With him starting every match we're not even playing CL football next season.


This season? Yeah, DDG has clearly been the better player between the two.
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Yeah I’m not reading all that, I said to the average striker..not comparing him to Ronaldo but we’ve seen from the performance thread you have some weird obsession with running one of our players into the ground..
 
Brophs said:
There’s something Roy Keane-esque about it. He’s calling out a group of players who, by his own admission, aren’t capable of taking it on. We probably all agree he’s right, but it looks out of step with the modern game and generation of players.
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It would be great to put this to Roy Keane, to see if he could see similarities between Ronnie’s interview just there now and his own.
 
ManchesterManchester said:
I understand what your saying but if he was like Ronaldo (CR7 brand) putting in world class performances then people would have no issue.

The problem a lot of us have with Jesse is he puts in below par performances so quite rightly people are questioning his focus and dedication. Priority for Man Utd players should be getting into the first team, after all that’s his job right? It’s no surprise to see he has failed here when he is not fully focused on football.
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Its been fairly well documented that Jesse has had a lot of struggles at home with his mother and his own declining mental health which affected him to the extent he had to tell the club about it. His company is just a small thing that happens to be online for people to be annoyed about, its not actually a timesink or something that would distract him from his dayjob. Or in other words: The players have free time between the time they show up at practice and the time they leave.

His problems are attributed to the above coupled with performances that just havent been up to par with the clubs standard. After the West Ham spell he should have been given more chances, thats unfortunately not materialized.
 
predator said:
It must be abit of a culture shock for him.


Coming back to a club which was renowned for its success, high standards and mentality only to see it has all but gone.
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Must be like that scene at the end of planet of the apes when the guy sees the Statue of Liberty buried in the sand and realises this planet he's on is the one he left at the start of the movie.
 
Brophs said:
There’s something Roy Keane-esque about it. He’s calling out a group of players who, by his own admission, aren’t capable of taking it on. We probably all agree he’s right, but it looks out of step with the modern game and generation of players.
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I've overseen about 3 generation/culture gaps in the squad at this point.
 
CloneMC16 said:
He's right, but it's more drama that the club doesn't need right now. These things should be being said behind closed doors. Ronaldo is also not above criticism. He's put in his fair share of shit performances as the rest of them. The only player that probably has the right to say much about his teammates is De Gea.
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So a club legend, one of the GOATs of football and our second best performed this season can't critise his teammates? Some of you guys are hilarious. Ronaldo has been performing at world class levels for 15 years he can critise anyone in football
 
I take two things from that interview.

1. He doesn't rate Rangnick but he's professional enough to sit tight knowing he's only there 6 months.
2. He is the reason for the unsettled dressing room, as too many players are not happy with the elevated standards he demands.
 
moses said:
The man himself says seniority counts, listen to people with experience. His performances are almost irrelevant.
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Yep, it would be pretty fecking bizarre, if say, Greenwood told Ronaldo to look at his own game first before giving him tips.

I mean he’s not what he was but he’s still arguably the greatest player to ever live and is still playing at an incredible level.
 
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