The Rise and Inexorable Fall of Cristiano Ronaldo
The fall has been coming long before CR7's move to Saudi Arabia...
I think it’s time… It’s time to say Ronaldo has fallen off, and is no longer in the conversation to be the greatest of all time. The day after the death of Pele, the inevitable career death of CR7 began. Ronaldo has achieved countless accolades throughout his career, including five Ballon d'Or awards and numerous league titles with teams such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus. But in recent years, there have been signs that Ronaldo's career may be on the decline. How did the man who for so long led United, Madrid, and Juventus to glory and renown fall so far that he’ll be signing for Al Nassr in the Saudi Arabia Pro League?
Ronaldo is now confirmed to finish his career making $75,000,000 a season over two years with Al Nassr.
I genuinely do think this is the end of Ronaldo, but the fall began many years ago. Strap in for the story of the rise and fall of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Pride comes before the fall.
The Sporting years
At the age of 16, Ronaldo was promoted to Sporting's first team by manager László Bölöni, who was impressed with his dribbling skills. He quickly made his way through the ranks, playing for the under-16, under-17, under-18, and B teams before finally getting his chance with the first team.
In September 2002, Ronaldo made his debut in the Primeira Liga, and a few weeks later, he scored two goals in a 3-0 win over Moreirense. His performances caught the attention of top clubs like Liverpool, Barcelona, and Arsenal, and it seemed only a matter of time before he made a big move.
That move eventually came in 2003, when Manchester United came calling. After beating Sporting 3-1 at the inaugural match of the Estádio José Alvalade, United manager Alex Ferguson was determined to sign Ronaldo on a permanent deal. Initially, the plan was to sign Ronaldo and loan him back to Sporting for a year, but after the game, Ferguson agreed to pay £12.24 million for what he called "one of the most exciting young players" he had ever seen.
Even as Ronaldo left Sporting, his DNA continues on in the fabric of the club. Patrick Leal, a player I interviewed last year who came up in the Sporting academy, said his experience even in the present day was that Sporting valued individual flair and kids of all ages tried to emulate Ronaldo.
Manchester United Breakthrough
Ronaldo arrived at Manchester United in August 2003 as the most expensive teenager in English football history. He was given the iconic number 7 shirt, previously worn by players like George Best, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham. Ronaldo's development at United was greatly aided by manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who he later called "one of the most important and influential factors in my career."
In his first season at the club, Ronaldo made his debut as a substitute and received a standing ovation. He scored his first goal for United a few months later, and ended the season with a goal in the FA Cup Final, earning his first trophy with the club. Despite some criticism from the media for his "elaborate" step-overs, Ronaldo showed flashes of his potential and was praised by teammates and pundits alike.
In his second season at United, Ronaldo continued to make progress. He scored the club's 1,000th Premier League goal, signed a new contract, and played well in big matches against Aston Villa and Arsenal. He also won his second trophy with the club, the Football League Cup, after scoring in the final against Wigan Athletic. However, Ronaldo also faced several controversies, including a one-match ban from UEFA for a gesture towards Benfica fans and a red card in the Manchester derby for kicking Andy Cole.
In his third season at United, Ronaldo faced more scrutiny and criticism, with some fans and media accusing him of diving and playacting. Despite this, he scored 23 goals in all competitions and helped United win the Premier League title. He also played a key role in the club's run to the semi-finals of the Champions League, scoring a hat-trick against Newcastle United in the quarter-finals.
These first three years may have been the pinnacle for any other player, but Ronaldo was just getting started in his development.
2007 saw him breakthrough to a level not seen before in decades.
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Ronaldo's 2006-2007 season was a successful one, as he helped Manchester United win the Premier League title and reach the Champions League final. He also won a host of individual awards, including the PFA Player's Player of the Year, Fans' Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year, and Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year. In the 2007-2008 season, Ronaldo continued to shine on the pitch.
In the Champions League, Ronaldo scored important goals in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, including a decisive goal against Lyon to help United advance. He also scored in the 3-0 aggregate win over Roma in the semi-finals. In the final against Chelsea in Moscow, Ronaldo scored the opening goal, but his penalty kick in the shoot-out was saved and United eventually won the match on penalties. Despite this, Ronaldo was named the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year as the top scorer in the Champions League.
In the Premier League, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Newcastle United in January, and captained Manchester United for the first time in a 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers in March. He also set a new single-season record for goals by a midfielder, surpassing George Best's total of 32 goals in the 1967-68 season. Ronaldo's 31 league goals earned him the Premier League Golden Boot and the European Golden Shoe. He also won the PFA Player's Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year awards for the second consecutive year.
In total, Ronaldo scored 42 goals in all competitions during the 2007-2008 season, his most prolific campaign at Manchester United. He also faced some controversy, including a three-match ban for headbutting a Portsmouth player and rumours of his interest in moving to Real Madrid. Despite this, Ronaldo remained at Manchester United for another year.
By the end of the year, Ronaldo helped United win the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan, assisting the final-winning goal against Liga de Quito and winning the Silver Ball in the process. He also received the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards, making him United's first Ballon d'Or winner since George Best in 1968, and the first Premier League player to be named the FIFA World Player of the Year.
In the Champions League, Ronaldo scored a crucial match-winning goal in the second leg against Porto with a 40-yard strike, which earned him the inaugural FIFA Puskás Award for the best goal of the year. He later called it the best goal he had ever scored. United advanced to the final in Rome, where they fell to a 2-0 defeat against Barcelona.
Despite this loss, Ronaldo ended his time in England with nine trophies, as United claimed their third successive league title and a Football League Cup. He finished the campaign with 26 goals in all competitions, 16 goals fewer than the previous season, in four more appearances. His final goal for United came on May 10th with a free kick in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
The Champion of Madrid
The rumors from the prior season turned out to be true, and Ronaldo wanted a move to Real Madrid. At the time of the transfer, Madrid had broken the record for largest transfer fee ever paid as the La Liga giants shelled out 94m euros.
On 29 August 2009, Ronaldo made his La Liga debut against Deportivo La Coruña, scoring a penalty in a 3-2 home win. He continued to impress in his first few league games, becoming the first Madrid player to score in each of his first four league games. His first Champions League goals for the club came with two free kicks in the first group match against Zürich.
Cristiano Ronaldo has always been a player that has been expected to deliver on the biggest stages. He has consistently proven himself to be one of the best players in the world throughout his career, and his time at Real Madrid was no different. In fact, Ronaldo's time at Madrid might have been the most impressive period of his career, as he helped guide the club to three Champions League titles and two La Liga titles.
One of Ronaldo's most impressive accomplishments during his time at Madrid was his ability to score goals at an incredible rate. He was the first player to score 40 goals in a single La Liga season, a feat that had never been achieved before. Ronaldo was able to accomplish this by consistently finding the back of the net, scoring hat tricks and braces on a regular basis. He was a threat to score every time he stepped onto the pitch, and his goalscoring ability was a major factor in Madrid's success.
Ronaldo's goalscoring prowess was not limited to just La Liga, as he also found the back of the net on a regular basis in the Champions League. He was a key part of Madrid's run to three Champions League titles, scoring in the final in each of those victories. Ronaldo's ability to score in the biggest games was one of the reasons why he was so highly regarded, and his goals in the Champions League helped cement his place as one of the greatest players in the history of the competition.
This is the era where Ronaldo became a candidate where people started to whisper the question. Will he end up as the greatest of all time?
In 2013-15 Ronaldo won back-to-back ballon d’or awards and helped Real Madrid to la decima and scored a Champions League record 17 goals in one campaign. At the start of his 7th season at Madrid he became the club’s all time top scorer, but he wasn’t slowing down anytime soon. In 2017-2017 he helped Madrid to back-to-back Champions League trophies, and eventually won his 5th ballon d’or, and 5th Champions League title including an insane bicycle kick against Juventus, which sparked applause from the opposition fans.
At the close of that last season, Ronaldo spoke about his time at Madrid in the past tense, sparking debate on what his future would look like. It would be difficult to imagine him in any other jersey than royal white.
Italian Giants Come Calling
But as fate would have it, in the summer of 2018, Cristiano Ronaldo made a shock move from Real Madrid to Italian giants Juventus. The transfer, worth a reported €100 million, made Ronaldo the highest paid player in Italian football history and the highest paid player over the age of 30 in the world.
The move came after months of negotiations with Real Madrid over a new contract, but Ronaldo ultimately decided to seek a new challenge in Italy. Speaking about his decision, Ronaldo cited a lack of support from Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez as a key factor in his departure.
Despite his advanced age, Ronaldo's signing was seen as a major coup for Juventus and a statement of intent from the club. Ronaldo had long been considered one of the best players in the world, and his move to Juventus generated huge excitement among fans and the media.
As he began his new chapter at Juventus, Ronaldo was tasked with helping the club achieve the success it had been seeking for so long. With his unrivaled skill and determination, Ronaldo quickly became a key figure for Juventus, scoring important goals and leading the team to numerous victories.
Despite his success on the field, Ronaldo's time at Juventus was not without controversy. In 2019, he was accused of rape by an American woman, leading to a lengthy legal battle that cast a shadow over his time at the club.
Despite the accusations, Ronaldo continued to perform at the highest level for Juventus, helping the club win three consecutive Serie A titles and reach the Champions League final in 2020.
Every time Ronaldo reaches the pinnacle with a new team, he seems to want to pursue a new challenge. Only this time, after winning what he could with Juventus, he was set to return to a club that was one of the biggest rivals of the team that helped him become one of the best in the world. After news broke that there was a verbal agreement between Manchester City and Ronaldo’s representatives, Manchester United had no choice but to beat them to his signature. Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo’s previous manager at United was in constant contact to try and sway him back to the red devils.
The Prodigal Son Returns
In 2021, Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United, the club where he had enjoyed so much success earlier in his career. He made his second debut for the team on September 11th, scoring two goals in a 4-1 victory against Newcastle United. Ronaldo continued to impress in the following weeks, scoring a last-minute winner in United's 2-1 victory against Villarreal in the Champions League on September 29th and scoring both goals, including a last-minute equalizer, in the reverse fixture against Atalanta on November 2nd. On November 23rd, Ronaldo became the first player to score in five consecutive matches of a Champions League campaign for an English club, with his six goals being crucial to United's qualification for the round of 16 as group winners.
Despite his strong start to the season, Ronaldo's performances and the team's form began to decline in the following months. Ronaldo endured a fractured relationship with his teammates and interim manager Ralf Rangnick, and he went two months without scoring a goal, equalling his worst goalscoring run since 2010. However, he eventually scored his first goal of the new year on February 15th, opening United's 2-0 victory against Brighton & Hove Albion.
After suffering a hamstring injury and missing the Manchester derby against Manchester City, Ronaldo made his return on March 12th, scoring a hat-trick in a 3-2 victory against Tottenham Hotspur. This hat-trick saw Ronaldo pass Josef Bican's record for goals scored in professional football, with 807 career goals. On April 16th, Ronaldo scored his 50th club hat-trick in a 3-2 win over Norwich City, and on April 23rd, he scored his 100th Premier League goal in a 3-1 defeat to Arsenal.
Despite finishing the season with 18 Premier League goals, Ronaldo and Manchester United struggled throughout the season, finishing in a disappointing sixth place and qualifying for the UEFA Europa League. This marked the first time since 2010 that Ronaldo had gone trophyless.
The Inevitable Heat Death of the Ronaldo Universe
As the 2022 season approached, Ronaldo's future at Manchester United remained uncertain. Reports emerged of his desire to leave the club and join a team competing in the Champions League, and his agent Jorge Mendes shopped him to literally every single club competing in the Champions League, but nobody was willing to pay a transfer fee or his exorbitant wages.
Which brings us to the present day. During the World Cup in Qatar it became increasingly evident that Ronaldo’s selfishness was impacting the squad’s performance on the pitch, and his mutual divorce from Manchester United dominated the news cycle. Immediately before the knockout rounds were set to begin there were shock reports that he would be joining Saudi club Al Nassr, and now it looks like those reports are unfortunately true.
A player that was in the same conversation a year ago with the likes of Messi, Pele, R9 and others will fall further than any prospective legend ever has.
Ronaldo won’t even end his career in a retirement league like MLS. He’ll end it by getting paid tens of millions of dollars to wash away into obscurity surrounded by yes-men. That’s his choice, but I don’t respect it.
What do you think Ronaldo’s legacy will be when all is said and done?
If he played in the US, his career wont be obscure right? Ronaldo has been playing top level football for about 15-years, R9 was finished before 32 meanwhile Cristiano was peaking for Real. Pele was done before 35. As much as playing in Saudi looks odd, he is a Top 5 of the greatest ever players in football no cap.
Great recap of his career, Jake. Like you, I don't respect the decision to move to Saudi Arabia for the money. However, I'm softer in my opinion about his final place in soccer history. I still see him in the Top 3 of All-Time (with Pelé and Messi above him). There has always been something about him that I don't like - I can't quite put my finger on it; but there's no denying his greatness.