Cristiano Ronaldo is actively seeking an exit from Serie A giants Juventus this summer, and has been heavily linked with a seemingly-unthinkable switch to Manchester City.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has been in direct contact with the Premier League champions over the possibility of a transfer to the Etihad Stadium before the deadline at the end of the month. Here, we assess why any controversial move would make sense for both parties.
Cristiano Ronaldo: Why a Move to Manchester City Would Make Sense for Club and Player
The Club’s Perspective: More Than Just Goals
When all is said and done, goals are the most precious commodity in football at the highest level. That is why, following his exploits at Inter Milan, Chelsea were willing to pay a club-record £97.5 million to bring Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge.
Manchester City have also been publicly open in their desire to sign a proven goalscorer this summer following the exit of their all-time record goalscorer, Sergio Aguero, to Barcelona.
Pep Guardiola’s side were ultimately unsuccessful in their attempts to prise Harry Kane away from Tottenham Hotspur, and now look as if they might turn their attention towards Ronaldo after Kane confirmed that he will be staying put this season.
In terms of adding goals to a team, few players, if any, do it better than Portugal icon Ronaldo. Despite now being in his mid-thirties, the Juventus forward has scored 101 goals in 134 games in Turin. This adds to the remarkable 109 goals he has scored for his national team, the 450 he plundered for Real Madrid, and the 118 he managed for Manchester United after scoring five times for Sporting Lisbon as a youngster.
Nevertheless, it has been argued that a player like Ronaldo, who has morphed into something of a penalty-box poacher in order to prolong his career at the top, could never fit into Pep Guardiola’s famous pressing style that requires his attacking players to defend from the front.
But, having failed in his pursuit of Harry Kane, the Spanish manager might be willing to make an exception for Ronaldo as a result of his ever-formidable goalscoring record. His team is in need of a goalscorer, after all.
It is also important to note that Ronaldo would bring exactly what Manchester City are looking for off the pitch as well. As they attempt to conquer European football and elevate the club’s brand, the Citizens have added world class players and managers to their appeal in recent years. If they were able to add a global superstar of Ronaldo’s stature to the mix, the benefits would be huge in significance.
For starters, there is the popularity Ronaldo carries. The 36-year-old has over 90 million followers on Twitter alone, and would bring with him to the Etihad an entire generation of people who fell in love with football through watching him play the game.
This could serve to elevate Manchester City’s support base around the world to the same level as the other factors the club have lifted to elite status since the arrival of their Abu Dhabi ownership group in 2008.
The Player’s Perspective: A Final Flourish
While there are numerous arguments as to why the potential signing of Ronaldo would benefit Manchester City, the same is true of the player himself.
The forward’s Juventus career has not passed as he would have envisaged when he swapped Madrid for Turin in 2018. Having become the fastest man ever to score a century of goals for the club, Ronaldo will argue he has done enough for a team that is undeniably a declining force, hence his desire for a new challenge.
While Juventus are a club heading on a downward trajectory for the time being, Manchester City are certainly not. Last season’s Champions League finalists are operating at a level more suited to Ronaldo’s talents, and the Portugal captain knows this.
Amid recent developments, one frequently-recurring question has been asked: What must Manchester United supporters make of this? If their former hero were to join the blue half of the city, their reaction would be mixed, as there are essentially two schools of thought here.
Firstly, some will argue that Ronaldo joining their city rivals would change nothing in terms of how he is viewed among the Old Trafford faithful. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since he left the club aged 24 back in 2009.
They will say the fact Ronaldo gave his peak years to another club rather than their own does not make him a Manchester United great. Rather, it makes him a great player who once played for Manchester United. Former teammates of his such as Wayne Rooney, who spent 13 years at Old Trafford and became the record goalscorer for club and country in that time, are revered inside an entirely different bracket. Seeing Ronaldo back in Manchester, but wearing blue, would not break their hearts.
Secondly, though, is the idea that Cristiano Ronaldo contributed more than any other teammate towards sustained success during his time as a Red Devil. He won three Premier League titles at Old Trafford. He also won the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or as a Manchester United player. Ronaldo took the club to heights its supporters have only been able to dream of since. Some will say that if that does not afford him legendary status then nothing ever would. In their eyes, seeing him wearing blue would turn him from a hero to a traitor.
Either way, Cristiano Ronaldo wants a new club. Regardless of history, it might be Manchester City.
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