To enter a new club and take on the biggest name there is particularly daunting, factor in the new club being Manchester United and the name Cristiano Ronaldo and you start to appreciate just what Erik ten Hag has managed.
Few could forget the fanfare and adulation that greeted Ronaldo's Old Trafford reunion - the prodigal son had returned, with Sir Alex Ferguson watching on from the stands like a proud father.
To many inside the ground and the millions watching at home, after years in the proverbial wilderness - Ronaldo's presence was the first step back for a Red Devils side looking to be restored to its former glories. A debut brace against Newcastle only strengthened that feeling, but slowly things were to unravel.
Though Ronaldo's first campaign back in United colours after more than a decade away ended with an impressive return of 18 league goals, the warning sings were there. The temper tantrums, the look of disgust each time he was brought off and the relentless reports of off-field unrest, it was becoming an unwanted side-story.
A side-story that was going to need someone strong enough to thwart it in its tracks and where Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick failed, Ten Hag has finally succeeded having ousted Ronaldo from the club - but not after one particularly brutal dressing down.
The Dutchman is rumoured to have told the five-time Ballon d'Or winner he would be dropped from the starting line-up for the home clash against Liverpool back in August, a contest United would go on to win 2-1 - proving Ten Hag's point in the process.
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According to The Sun, the United boss informed Ronaldo he wouldn't be in the first eleven during a team meeting with the entire squad present. The same report claims how the former Real Madrid man remained silent throughout the meeting.
It was first blow Ten Hag in the battle between the two, but what followed few could have ever expected, with Ronaldo holding an explosive, tell-all interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored during which time he took aim at everyone from the manager to the Glazer family.
When discussing Ten Hag, he explained: "I don't have respect for him because he doesn't show respect for me. If you don't have respect for me, I'm never gonna have respect for you."
He continued by claiming he felt key figures from within the club were trying to force him out, adding: "Yes, not only the coach, but another two or three guys around the club. I felt betrayed."
The entire interview smacked of desperation as Ronaldo tried to force through the Old Trafford exit he wanted but was denied in the summer, though he eventually got his wish.
Shortly before Portugal's World Cup campaign started, United confirmed in a short, blunt statement that they had parted ways with Ronaldo before he could see out the two-year contract he penned in August 2021.
The 67-word update read: "Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect.
"The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances, and wishes him and his family well for the future.
"Everyone at Manchester United remains focused on continuing the team’s progress under Erik ten Hag and working together to deliver success on the pitch."
The last paragraph is undoubtedly the most notable, with many interpreting it as United's way of saying Ten Hag is at the helm now and anyone who crosses his path will meet the same fate as Ronaldo.
As fate would have it, Ronaldo is now on the verge of a two-and-a-half year deal with Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr in a move that will make him the highest-paid athlete on the planet by some distance.
However, the lack of interest from any respected European club is enough evidence to suggest Ten Hag was correct to slowly cull Ronaldo from the United team before ousting him entirely.
