And now, what do we do? This week, Cristiano Ronaldo offered an interview to Piers Morgan. And the least we can say is that it has turned the football world upside down. During this interview, he did not spare Erik Ten Hag and his “heart club”. He confessed “have no respect” for the Batavian and reproaches the leaders for not having believed that his daughter had serious health problems.
Suffice to say that the point of no return is reached following a chaotic first part of the season where CR7 only played to assert them by scoring three small goals in sixteen games. The question now arises of its future. For English media, three options stand out.
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Most unlikely: Chelsea
Many rumors sent the fivefold Golden Ball to the side of the Blues this summer. Tedd Boehly himself had submitted the idea to Thomas Tuchel. The latter had politely refused because he had other plans for his attack. Quickly, the Chelsea track therefore resurfaced and the American leader this time proposed the idea to Graham Potter… who also declined the idea according to the Daily Mail.
Despite his XXL CV, Ronaldo is not in the plans of the former Brighton boss who does not want to bet on a 37-year-old player. A news that would not have pleased Tedd Boehly. The latter is close to Jorge Mendes, the historic agent of the former Real Madrid striker. Above all, Boehly is looking for a figurehead and a player to represent his project which, currently, is not successful.
The most ambitious: Bayern Munich
This summer, Bayern Munich has also been mentioned. Oliver Kahn himself admitted to having considered this possibility. Finally, the Bavarian leader announced that CR7 did not correspond to the “club philosophy”.
Since then, the situation has changed somewhat. At the start of the season, Bayern struggled to find themselves in the number nine position. Sadio Mané initially took the job with mixed results. Then, the Choupo Moting messiah revealed himself. The Cameroonian scored eleven goals in… 852 minutes. Statistics worthy of Robert Lewandowski, who left for FC Barcelona this summer. However, the leaders are aware that it may take more to put the German club back on the roof of Europe. Suddenly, the Ronaldo track makes sense.
Also according to the Daily Mail, an interview took place last week between the Bavarian leaders and the Ronaldo clan. A meeting that was quickly denied by the Bild. The German media even claims that the club is absolutely not interested in the Portuguese legend.
The track might therefore already have taken lead in the wing. Even if Sadio Mané’s injury just before the World Cup might make you think internally. Especially since Naggelsmann will not be once morest a new weapon in order to fight to win the Champions League.
The most romantic: Sporting Lisbon
Trained at Sporting Lisbon, Cristiano Ronaldo might also end his career where he began. That would be a way to close the loop. Unlike Graham Potter, Ruben Amorim, the Lisbon coach, is more than keen on the idea of welcoming his compatriot.
It is more the leaders and the treasury of the current third in Liga Sagres who would pose problems. Indeed, last month the manager admitted that it was impossible to welcome Ronaldo while he was on a salary of £500,000 a week.
If he wants to return to the country, the player will therefore have to make a (very) substantial effort. At a press conference, Ruben Amorim gave an update on the file. “Everyone loves him at Sporting, there’s not much to say”he began. “He says himself that he wants to do things in peace for his future. It’s up to him to decide. I’m not going to tell you here what he should do. The decision of a transfer is not up to me. not just me. The club and the management have their say. Until proven otherwise, he is still a Manchester United player.” Left with his selection at the World Cup, Ronaldo is indeed still a player of the Red Devils. Will it still be at the end of January? Chances are that won’t be the case.