There was a time when Cristiano Ronaldo might have been considered the most sought-following talent in world football. When operating at the peak of his powers with Real Madrid, it is easy to imagine that he might have generated a transfer fee that topped Neymar’s record-breaking mark of €222 million when joining Paris Saint-Germain.
A five-time Ballon d’Or winner was a sporting and marketing dream, with any club on the planet prepared to throw open its doors to the Portuguese icon if he offered the slightest indication that he was looking for an invitation.
Tricks
Fast forward to the present and the picture has shifted considerably. Ronaldo is no longer the guarantee of goals and talismanic performances that he once was, with those looking for a football bet beginning to explore other options. Many free football tips would regularly side with an all-time great in years gone by, with the expectation being that he would produce a moment of magic from somewhere, but that bag of tricks appears to have been misplaced.
Ronaldo had hoped that a change of scenery would help him rediscover a lost spark, with a serious push for the exits at Manchester United made during the summer of 2022. No deal was done, though, and he was forced to stay put.
That was not entirely by choice when another recruitment deadline passed, with interested parties proving to be in short supply. A man that was once coveted in every corner of the globe suddenly found himself with an alarmingly short list of suitors.
That situation has not improved heading towards another January window and the end of his contract at Old Trafford in 2023. While there remains plenty of gossip to be found, there remains little substance to it.
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has ruled out any chance of Ronaldo returning to the Spanish capital due to his strong ties with arch-rivals Real. Bayern Munich, Roma and Chelsea have all sought to distance themselves from a long-running debate, while Brazilian giants Flamengo have claimed that Ronaldo would only make their bench.
As things stand, the only serious interest being shown has come from Saudi Arabia. The head of the nation’s Football Association, Yasser Al-Misehal, has said of doing a marquee deal in the Middle East: “We would love to see a player like Cristiano Ronaldo playing in the Saudi League. I think, ‘Why not?’.”
Demands
It may be that the Portugal international has to start giving greater consideration to such approaches than he has done to this point. If he really wants to make a fresh start, then he can no longer afford to cherry-pick his next destination and make demands regarding game time and trophy challenges.
There is still a chance that an American dream might be chased, with talk of a move to MLS having ticked over in the background for some time, and a partnership with fellow fabled No.7 David Beckham at Inter Miami would make plenty of sense. That option is not on the table at present, though, with said piece of furniture currently littered with an assortment of humble pie.
