The problem for anybody signing Cristiano Ronaldo is that, no matter how big the club, it immediately becomes FC Ronaldo. Wednesday should have been about Manchester United’s extremely impressive performance in a 2–0 win over Tottenham, the best it has played under Erik ten Hag and arguably the most encouraging performance since those counterattacking displays in the early days under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. But instead the headlines were, yet again, about Ronaldo.
The 37-year-old had refused to come off the bench with United 2–0 up. When Christian Eriksen and Anthony Elanga were brought on after 87 minutes, Ronaldo could be seen, standing in front of the wall of the Old Trafford dugout. A couple of minutes later, he walked down the touchline, proceeded down the tunnel and had left the stadium before the final whistle blew. After being disciplined by Manchester United Thursday, Ronaldo took to Instagram.
“I try to live and play respectfully towards my colleagues, my adversaries and my coaches,” Ronaldo said in a statement. “That hasn’t changed. I haven’t changed. I’m the same person and the same professional that I’ve been for the last 20 years playing elite football, and respect has always played a very important role in my decision-making process. … Unfortunately that’s not always possible and sometimes the heat of the moment gets the best of us.”
