Cristiano Ronaldo returning to Manchester United was something that United fans hoped would happen. That appeared unlikely, however, just a few days ago as he was linked to a move to their rivals, Manchester City.
However, a few days is a long time in football and as City dramatically pulled out of the move, United swooped in and the homecoming is now complete.
The big question is, what can the 36-year-old bring to this Manchester United side?
What Cristiano Ronaldo Will Bring to Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo Will Bring Winning Mentality to Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo is a winner. His list of honours illustrates this. He has won an incredible 32 trophies, including five Champions League winner’s medals. He has won league titles in England, Spain, and Italy. Also, he has won international honours including the European Championship in 2016.
He sets high standards for himself and can get frustrated at times when someone misplaces a pass because he expects better from those around him. Ronaldo is not only a winner on the pitch but also off the pitch too. A couple of years ago, former teammate Patrice Evra shared this story of when Ronaldo lost to Rio Ferdinand in a game of table tennis.
Evra said: “They were playing table tennis and Rio beat him and we were all screaming and Ronaldo was so upset. He trained for two weeks at home and he came back and he beat Rio in front of everyone. That’s Cristiano Ronaldo.”
Manchester United needs to establish that winning mentality. They haven’t won a trophy in four years. Looking at their current squad, only Raphaël Varane, Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Nemanja Matic, and Phil Jones have won a league title.
The vast majority of the squad don’t know what it takes to get over the line and win a league title or Champions League. Cristiano Ronaldo does and he will be a hugely influential figure in the dressing room. He has an incredible work ethic and a desire to be the best. That will rub off on those around him and he will demand the very best out of his teammates.
Cristiano Ronaldo Will Be a Great Role Model for Mason Greenwood
Mason Greenwood is the future striker for Manchester United. The 19-year-old has proven he is one of the most clinical finishers in United’s squad. He has had a great start to the Premier League, scoring in his first three games. However, he still has a lot to learn.
In terms of teachers, having one of the greatest players of all time in Cristiano Ronaldo and one of the best strikers of his generation in Edinson Cavani are not bad tutors to have.
Having Ronaldo in the dressing room and training with the Portuguese international will no doubt be of huge benefit to Greenwood. It is not only on the pitch that Greenwood will benefit but also off it too. Ronaldo is the consummate professional. At 36, he still has the physique and fitness levels of a player in their prime.
Greenwood will also learn what it takes to be a great player and play consistently at the highest level. At 19-years-old, the England international is in a privileged position to have two fantastic strikers to learn from. If he takes on their advice, both on and off the pitch, the sky could be the limit for the young forward.
Will Provide Huge Commercial Value for Manchester United
The commercial impact to Manchester United may not be something fans want to talk about. However, United’s owners, the Glazer family, will know how big a commercial boost this will be for the club.
It is not only from shirt sales, ticket sales, merchandise, but it will also bring fresh opportunities for lucrative sponsorship deals.
Also, Ronaldo has a huge social media following. He is the most followed person on Instagram with 334 million followers. He is not only one of the best footballers of all time but also a global brand in his own right.
To emphasis his impact, Manchester United’s website crashed when they announced he had signed. When the club posted the announcement on Twitter it gained two million likes and over 800,000 retweets.
In 2018, when Juventus signed Ronaldo, they saw their stock market value increase by a staggering 37%. United have also seen their stock value increase by eight percent on the day it was announced.
Given the loss of revenue that United had occurred due to no crowds being allowed in last season during the pandemic, Ronaldo’s signing will be a big boost to the club’s finances.
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