When Cristiano Ronaldo made his grand return to Manchester United in 2021, eschewing an approach from Manchester City and Pep Guardiola to head back to the Theatre of Dreams after 12 years away, it was supposed to ensure that the Premier League title would also make its way back to Old Trafford.
Ronaldo, the conquering hero. Europe’s greatest goalscorer, arguably ever, riding back into town to end what has been almost a decade of under-performance for the Red Devils, since the departure of his great mentor, Sir Alex Ferguson.
While United had floundered, Ronaldo had won. And won again. And again. League titles, the Champions League (four times), individual accolades galore, feted at both Real Madrid and Juventus. After a second place finish in 2020-21, the goalscorer supreme, coupled with the costly additions of Jadon Sancho and another serial winner in ex-Madrid teammate Raphael Varane, ensured there could be no more excuses. Having rebuilt under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following the end of Jose Mourinho's tempestuous reign, Ronaldo was the final piece of an expensively-assembled jigsaw and put United firmly into ‘win-now’ mode; after electing to hand the 36-year-old £500k-a-week, merely competing for the top four was no longer enough. A title challenge was expected, competing with Manchester City and Liverpool.
Instead, United floundered. Badly.
Ronaldo scored 18 Premier League goals and notched 24 in 38 games in all competitions but the team couldn’t live up to heightened expectations. Solskjaer didn’t reach December, things only got worse under interim boss Ralf Rangnick and United finished sixth, outside the Champions League places, with a goal difference of zero, 35 points behind champions City.
The chastening 4-0 thrashing by Brighton on May 7, as United were savagely picked apart by Graham Potter's smart outfit on Ronaldo's final appearance of the 2021-22 campaign, was the day he ultimately decided he wanted to leave. After Pascal Gross had made it 3-0, Ronaldo was spotted laughing as he prepared to kick off once again, unable to hide his bewilderment with those around him. It was the day that mathematically ensured there would be no place at Europe's top table for United this term.
The Portuguese hasn’t been out of the Champions League - the competition that defines him more than any other - since he was a teenager. After a tumultuous campaign, all the more galling given how his team floundered and trailed badly in the wake of the side he could have joined instead, he quickly made clear to his camp that he had no intention of leaving Europe’s premier club competition behind now, at the age of 37 and with his career in its latter stages.
But finding a suitor willing to take on Ronaldo, and everything that entails - not just financially - has been far more difficult than his agent, Jorge Mendes, envisioned.
Mendes met with new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly in June and a move to Stamford Bridge was floated, however the Blues interest never went beyond that initial question. There was little interest in Italy, Atletico Madrid have distanced themselves from a transfer, labelling it “practically impossible”, while old club Real Madrid - the reigning European champions - don’t want him back having seen their own veteran No.9, Karim Benzema, blossom from Ronaldo's long-time sidekick into this year’s sure-fire Ballon d’Or winner. Bayern Munich, despite losing Robert Lewandowski, took a pass: "As highly as I rate Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the greatest, a transfer wouldn't be a fit with our philosophy," Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn told German magazine Kicker.
For their part, United, publicly, have made clear they’ve no interest in releasing Ronaldo from his contract and want him to be part of new manager Erik ten Hag’s squad in 2022-23. Ten Hag has repeatedly insisted that he wants Ronaldo as part of his team.
Yet while the Dutchman has been putting his side through their paces on the club’s pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, Ronaldo remained in Portugal, citing family reasons.
On Monday morning, as Ten Hag planned for his players’ return to Carrington on Tuesday, there remained uncertainty over whether Ronaldo would be returning on time. By Monday afternoon, United had their answer, that he and Mendes would be at the club’s training base the following morning for talks with United officials over his future. On Monday evening, he boarded a private flight and returned to England.
Duly, Ronaldo and Mendes arrived together, appearing just before 11am, stopping briefly on the way through security to sign autographs before making their way inside.
Turning up with his most trusted advisor in situ points to Ronaldo's desire to exit having not changed, despite the aforementioned lack of options he may have across Europe. However, that's something which won't dissuade either he or Mendes, who has made an extremely lucrative career out of bending the transfer market to his will.
Intriguingly, just five minutes after their arrival, via the back entrance at Carrington, Ferguson also arrived. His powers of persuasion saw Ronaldo pull out of a move to City in favour of returning to United last August, calling the Portuguese himself at the 11th hour to seal an Old Trafford homecoming.
United claim, Fergie, 80, was at Carrington to attend a board meeting, with chief executive Richard Arnold, football director John Murtough, the club's ex-chief executive David Gill and Bryan Robson. Arnold and Murtough were scheduled for talks with Mendes, and it would be naive to think that Ferguson wasn't involved in some capacity, either with Ronaldo or the agent he once claimed was the world's. best.
Indeed, it's understood United bosses hoped he could use his powers of persuasion to talk Ronaldo into staying - having done similar in 2008, when he played hardball and kept Ronaldo from Real Madrid for 12 months longer than the Portuguese had wanted.
One option that has been put on the table, as first reported by Mirror Football, is the possibility of allowing Ronaldo to leave Old Trafford on loan for the season - but only if he agrees to the 12-month extension in his contract. That would allow him to depart for a Champions League club this season, before returning to United for a final fling when, it's hoped, they'll be back among the European elite.
Whether that is a plausible solution however remains in question. For Ronaldo, a delaying tactic from the club which, 12 months from now, leaves everyone in the same situation - something he is keen to avoid.
However, one source admits it is something Mendes is open to, particularly with United's top brass continuing to insist that an outright sale is out of the question. Typically, Mendes feels that without the necessity of a transfer fee, he can find Ronaldo an elite club for the season - regardless of what has already been said - and present a solution that will work for all parties.
As customary on a first day back at the vast majority of clubs, Ronaldo didn't train with the first-team, but undertook a number of medical and fitness tests to see where he stands after his extended summer break.
For the first time, Ronaldo also met Ten Hag in person, the two having some one-to-one time to chat about the ex-Ajax boss' plans for him, should he stay.
The 52-year-old knows he will have more questions to answer about his No.7's future soon, with United playing three friendlies before this week is out. It is unlikely that Ronaldo will feature in any of them, including the meeting with Atletico in Oslo on Saturday and Ten Hag's Old Trafford bow, against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.
Eventually, Ronaldo departed the training ground just before 5pm, via the same back exit through which Fergie had arrived; Mendes had departed long before following the conclusion of his meeting, armed with the club's remit for his biggest and most valuable client.
But the questions over Ronaldo's future and where he plays his football in 2022-23 remain. It has already overshadowed United's pre-season and if it continues to drag on, will overshadow their Premier League opener, ironically against Brighton, too.
