Should Manchester United really want Cristiano Ronaldo back?

Posted Sunday, October 18, 2015 by squawka.com

Should Manchester United really want Cristiano Ronaldo back?
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 84 Premier League goals during his time with Manchester United.

It’s been one of the most clichéd fantasies in sport, if not across the globe in every aspect of life, for decades now.

The concept of the returning hero, the white knight returning on his noble steed to the adoration of thousands of supporters, has gripped the fans of countless clubs in years gone by. The affiliation those masses feel towards that one man, that one individual, should surely be enough to tempt them back to the place where they were worshipped.

Sadly life rarely offers a perfect scenario and in football the return of a club legend tends to fall the other way. Expectations of the idol are too grand, and the superstar is unable to once again dazzle in the way that became synonymous with them before.

It happened with Robbie Fowler at Liverpool. The man dubbed “God” by the Anfield faithful were filled with delight when their favoured son returned to Merseyside in 2006, five years after being sold to Leeds.

The England striker had arguably been forced out of the club by Gerard Houllier but the Spaniard Rafa Benitez bought him back home. The pacey forward, who netted 120 goals in just 236 appearances for the Reds, was surely set to once again fire them to glory.

It never was going to work that way. Fowler scored eight goals in 30 appearances over 18 months, before leaving the club again on a free transfer.

The return of Fowler, while not an embarrassment the likes of which was seen when Andriy Shevchenko went back to AC Milan, still leaves a slightly-bitter taste in the mouth. While fans understandably loved that their hero had returned there is something to be argued in that they would have been better to remain with their fond memories of their legendary striker.

While Fowler in his prime was an astonishingly good finisher, Cristiano Ronaldo is without doubt one of the greatest players to ever step foot onto a pitch. If it wasn’t for an Argentine by the name of Lionel Messi across Spain the Portuguese winger would currently be out on his own at the pinnacle of the sport.

The winger moved to Real Madrid in 2009 for a then-world record fee and since that day fans of the historic Premier League side have prayed for the day that arguably their greatest player of the modern era returned to Old Trafford. Media reports have speculated it close to happening a couple of times in the last few seasons, but it seems that this particular door is closed for Ronaldo.

In an interview with Spanish publication Marca Ronaldo has revealed that he wants to retire at Real Madrid, saying: “I am 30 and I want to play five or six more years.

''I want to win and I’m at the best club in the world. Obviously I have a contract up to 33, and as I have said many times my dream was to finish here at Real Madrid, because I feel good, I feel useful, and I want to continue.”

It’s a statement of intent by Ronaldo that will feel like a stake through a heart for a number of the United supporters, who genuinely believed that the boy who signed from Lisbon back in 2003 could once again pull on the Red of Manchester.

But should it?

On the face of it disappointment is understandable. We’re talking about a forward who has scored more than 50 goals per season across all competitions for the last five years. He netted his highest tally last year, with 61, including 48 in La Liga. United’s top scorer last season in the Premier League was Wayne Rooney, who got 12.

His goal-scoring feats have been nothing short of astronomical since his transfer to the Spanish giants, but does United now stand to benefit from signing Ronaldo?

The fee touted for a player of his ability is likely to be immense, and will hold a similar value to the £80 million that the forward cost Madrid back in 2009. For a player that turns 31 in February, any serious amount of money should be considered a risk.

According to Stoke City manager Mark Hughes, who at the time coached Manchester City, Ronaldo’s free-kick technique will lead to problems for the forward in the future, saying in 2009 (per Sky Sport): “It is an outstanding talent that causes big problems for goalkeepers – but Ronaldo himself might one day find there are consequences as well.

''It is such an unnatural movement and I wonder whether he will be able to maintain that technique throughout his career without causing himself some damage.

''It is something that could cause problems, so he will have to build a lot of strength into his thighs and in the muscles around the knee.”

Yes Ronaldo still has unbelievable ability but his turn of pace could be lost any-time in the future for the forward. That, along with the potential issues with his knees, could be of real concern in the coming seasons.

Regardless of the health issues that could potentially affect Ronaldo’s later career it would be nothing compared to the outstanding reputation that the forward could dismantle should his second spell at United be in anyway worse than his first. The man who left tOld Trafford has only got better since his departure but a potential return could ruin that fondness.

Ronaldo’s legacy at Manchester United will go do in history. The best way for the club, the player and the fans to keep it that was it to ensure it is not tarnished with a second run as a United player.