Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo did everything he could during his second spell at the club, but it would be wrong to laud it as a success.
Cristiano Ronaldo made a stunning return to Manchester United in 2021, and while he was able to prove his enduring eye for goal, with 27 for the club in total, it was not an altogether happy spell.
Including caretaker boss Michael Carrick, Ronaldo played under four different managers at Old Trafford across a 14-month period, including Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo’s contract was cut short in late 2022, by mutual consent. It was a merciful decision for all concerned, allowing club and player to go their separate paths.
Jose Mourinho comments on Cristiano Ronaldo
Former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho managed Cristiano Ronaldo for a successful period at Real Madrid, where the forward developed into one of the best out and out goalscorers the world has ever seen.
Mourinho spoke recently to Five and was asked about how to get the best out of Ronaldo. He broke it down very simply, offering his insight.
He explained: “I think you don’t coach (Cristiano). Motivation you don’t need to give him. Ambition, responsibility, you cannot give him, technically you cannot give him.
“It’s just to give some tactical adjustments and let the guy be happy.”
Asked if there was anything he could teach him, he humbly replied: “I don’t think so, he doesn’t need it.”
Mourinho spells out where Manchester United went wrong
Jose Mourinho’s comments spell out where Manchester United went wrong with Cristiano Ronaldo the second time around, in different ways.
The key to unlocking Ronaldo’s superpowers, per Mourinho, was simply to foster a happy environment at the club and in training, to allow him to succeed.
This did not happen at all, with Manchester United in crisis during that time, failing to mount an expected title challenge, with the player featuring under four different bosses.
It was not a happy dressing room. The Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick eras were rife with leaks, from a split camp from some who felt Ronaldo should be captain, and others who did not, to various players unhappy with their own playing time, to claims from ESPN that players were unhappy leaving training when the weather was dark. Everything which could have gone wrong, did go wrong.
Ronaldo made clear he was not happy several months in. He gave an interview to Sky Sports expressing displeasure at young players who he felt did not want to learn, and the club’s league position. He was trying to galvanise the squad into a response, but it seemed to only add to the disharmony.
The managers did not help themselves either. Ralf Rangnick in particular wanted to change Ronaldo’s game and make him part of a high-pressing attack. This was a big ask for a 37-year-old forward who turned 38 mid-season. Instead, he should have worked around Ronaldo, and found a tactical plan to suit him.
Erik ten Hag found it difficult too. By time Ten Hag took over, Ronaldo’s mind was made up that he wanted out, and the Dutchman did not stand much chance of turning the situation around. But he too wanted Ronaldo to play a certain way, and he did not deliver on the pitch. His performances at the start of 2022/23 were poor, missing an unusual amount of chances, reflecting a player with an unhappy mindset. His motivation had gone.
Manchester United as a club were not in a good place during Ronaldo’s second spell. It was not a club able to give Ronaldo what he needed, and it predictably crashed and burned. There were some good moments along the way though, some happy memories, but no tangible success to savour and look back on it as anything but another failed chapter in the post Sir Alex Ferguson era.