He’s no Messi: Ronaldo’s ego caused his rise and fall at Man Utd
Suraj Radia
- Updated: 20 Oct 2022 19:46 BST
- 3 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo ego helped him become the player he is today but it’s that same attitude that has caused him to go from hero to zero at Manchester United.
The Portuguese legend has been dropped by manager Erik ten Hag from the first team and will be made to train alone after walking out of Old Trafford during United’s 2-0 win over Tottenham.
The 37-year old has struggled to come to terms with his decline since asking to leave United during the summer, particularly with the club seemingly thriving in his absence.
Ronaldo suffered the humiliation of demanding a transfer only to find no Champions League teams willing to sign him at this stage in his career, particularly while still demanding wages which make him one of the highest-paid players in the world.
BETTER WITHOUT YOU: Ronaldo’s shocking United statistics
As a result, Ronaldo was forced to stay at United where he was made just two league starts this season, coinciding with the team going on a run of just one defeat in their last eight domestic games.
Having been the club’s top scorer last season, Ronaldo may be perplexed to see himself now out of the line-up but his goals could not mask his poor work off-the-ball, which is imperative to Ten Hag’s system.
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Adapt or die, old man!
Parallels have, unsurprisingly, been drawn to Lionel Messi, who has taken on a more supportive role at Paris Saint-Germain and allowed the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar to take the spotlight.
Truly a mark of a ‘GOAT’ is the ability to adapt your play style and still remain effective, with Messi seemingly understanding that, at 35 years old, he may not be the as dynamic as he once was.
However, Ronaldo appears to have struggled with that aspect of his game and allegedly feels disrespected at being used as a bench player despite his teammates obviously playing well.
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A star of Ronaldo’s experience could use his veteran presence to be a role model and lead by example to young players, many of whom grew up idolising him.
Ronaldo’s ego is a huge reason as to why he became successful in the first place, refusing to just be luxury, flair player, and utilising his self-belief to push him to become one of the greatest sportsmen ever.
But it’s that ego which has stopped him from winding down his career with grace, instead tainting his legacy by turning his die-hard fanbase against him and disrespecting his club, his teammates and his manager.
Ronaldo will now likely leave United, with the club considering terminating his contract in January, marking a sad end to the career of a player considered a prima donna and proving his critics right.
