PANJIM: It used to be a passionate affair once upon a time. Not anymore. Portuguese footballer Christiano Ronaldo and Manchester United are not on the same page. It has been simmering for a while.
In July, Ronaldo left Old Trafford mid-way through United’s pre-season friendly along with other members of the squad which left coach Ten Hag fuming. In October, Ronaldo was left on the bench despite United being 0-4 down at half-time. Ten Hag said he did not bring the 37-year-old on out of “respect” for Ronaldo’s career.
Later in October, Ronaldo refused to come onto the pitch as a substitute and stormed down the tunnel before full-time. He was suspended as a result. After returning for two Premier League games after his suspension, Ronaldo is declared ill by Ten Hag and is not included in the match-day squad. Later in the week Ronaldo is still missing from the United match-day squad and then that evening, in his interview with Piers Morgan, he criticized the club as well as the coach. He accused the club of lacking empathy when his three-month-old daughter was hospitalised with bronchitis.
The club then took down a large poster which saw him feature alongside a slew of United legends who wore No.7, including David Beckham and Eric Cantona. An unsavoury situation and one that leaves a bitter taste.
Portugal as a football exponent has a place in the hearts of Goan fans and Ronaldo has been by far the face of Portuguese football for a decade or more. So naturally, CR-7’s vast legion of fans in Goa have been saddened by the state of affairs of their favourite star.
Karan Bhatia has been a fan of Ronaldo from the time he first emerged in Man U colours 15 years ago. He is disappointed no end with how the situation had played out. Bhatia said, “The manager has been getting some good performances from the team and he should have displayed more patience. He has not been very patient of late and this has been very distracting for the squad.”
Many cited the passage of time as a possible cause of problems. Satyajit, though, was objective. “As much as I admire Ronald, no player is bigger than the club or the manager. He said, “As much as I admire Ronaldo, age has caught up with him and he does not fit into the present system or the future of Man United. This should have been handled quietly by the club in the summer itself but it would appear we are heading for a nasty ending which is sad considering the absolute brilliance of CR7 in the No.7 jersey in his first stint and at times last season.”
Eric D’Souza said, “He shouldn’t have done the interview, while having a valid contract, but I guess it stemmed from frustration that had built up, given his issues with the manager as well as less game time. No one is bigger than the club and if they should fine him it would be the best thing to do, but they should have been a bit more empathetic when his child was sick which caused him to miss pre-season.”
The move to criticise the owners for not investing enough money was welcomed by Satchel da Silva but to call out club legends was a bit too far. “Most fans were saddened by the fact he had a go at the manager about respect when most of the fan base was very happy with what he had done so far.
Regret over the entire episode is the overbearing emotion, here in Goa. But general sentiment bears hope that their beloved footballer and the Red Devils will bury the hatchet and return to delighting millions of admirers the world over.
