Piers Morgan interviews Cristiano Ronaldo. It reveals more about him than Manchester United. Adam Bate takes a look at the reasons why Ronaldo’s mentality made him great. Old Trafford will be his downfall as he struggles to adapt to his own decline.
Cristiano Ronaldo said, “Sorry, but I am not that type of player” during his interview with Piers. Morgan. It is a proud statement that he says, and it will be cited by his admirers as proof of his elite mentality. It is a clear indication of his inability to adapt to his new reality.
It is said that most players know their end before they do. Ronaldo isn’t like most players, as has been the case over his remarkable career. It is his curse that the mentality that brought him to the top of his sport is also making his descent more painful than necessary.
Anyone would have expected that this intense but ultimately painful interview would include revelations about Erik Ten Hag’s shocking treatment at work of a 37-year-old man. They waited in vain for the evidence.
Ronaldo was not bullied or degraded by the coach who set Manchester United on a new course. In what could be his last appearance at the club, he named him captain. Ten Hag was guilty of not picking Ronaldo on his team on occasion.
This is the incendiary act that led him to refuse to leave the bench against Tottenham. Ronaldo has since apologized for his actions to his teammates. It was kind of. “I apologized, but in the exact same way, I don’t regret the decision not to come on.” Sorry, but not sorry.
Ronaldo wasn’t fully fit when he started the season. He seems to have accepted that he couldn’t walk into the team at that time. He was part of the Brentford 4-0 defeat but was not included in the four United wins. Only to be relegated to the home loss to Real Sociedad.
He was benched for the Tottenham game. This followed two other games within a week of Ronaldo’s start. Ninety minutes were spent in the narrow victory over Omonia Nicosia, Old Trafford. In the match with Newcastle United, there were seventy-two minutes left in the stadium.
This is important because it isn’t the story of a player who was almost 38 when he was frozen. His last appearance, the 3-1 loss to Aston Villa was his ninth in 13 games. Ten Hag may have been too harsh with him.
All of this is not to say Ronaldo is useless to Manchester United. He showed that he still has the ability to win against Everton. He is capable of contributing. Ten Hag tried to accommodate him. He has accepted more than he seems to want.
“I don’t want to be arrogant and claim that I am the same as 20 years ago. Of course, not,” says Ronaldo. He suggests that retirement at 40 is the best option. He admits that time is his enemy, and it is at this point that he is closest to acknowledging it.
“But I adapt, and I’m smart enough to recognize my strengths and what I excel at. Yet, I continue to play at a high level. I have scored goals and will continue to score them – if I am happy and clear in my mind, and if I have the support of those around me, I can be a successful player.”
It is possible to build a team around Ronaldo, which maximizes his output. Manchester United might not be doing this. Ten Hag has less motivation to do this as his abilities diminish and the end draws near.
Ronaldo looks back at his time at Real Madrid now as a benchmark for how he would prefer to be treated. However, he does not seem to have realized that he was treated this way because he reached his peak. This would have been impossible.
During his nine seasons in La Liga, he was called up as a substitute eight more times than Ten Hag asked him to do at Manchester United. Ronaldo was not on the bench during Ronaldo’s five La Liga seasons as a Real Madrid player.
It’s no wonder that he finds this all so foreign. He says, “Do not tell us that the top players and the guys who want all, the key players will play three minutes.” This was his response to the request that he be allowed to join the game after Tottenham’s defeat. “Come on! This is unacceptable!”
Maybe he is right. United supporters have seen Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and others accept their places back in the ranks. But Ronaldo is different. Eric Cantona didn’t have to adapt, which may be a good thing. From his first day to his last, he was the most important man.
This is what happens with true greats. Pele traveled to the States. Johan Cruyff stormed into Feyenoord after he realized that Ajax wasn’t bending to him. Diego Maradona consumed clubs. The tensions that accompanied Lionel Messi’s move from Milan to Paris Saint-Germain are not unfounded.
This is a new tactic in the Premier League. We don’t know what it would look like if an iconic player of the game is asked for a lesser role. This is perhaps what this unsettling spectacle looks like.
United is now facing more embarrassing headlines at a moment when they thought the worst was over. Alejandro Garnacho’s big moment swallowed up. Instead, the spotlight was placed on years of failure that led to this mess.
Ronaldo is correct to question Ralf Rangnick’s nomination. His claim that United are no longer the leader in infrastructure is undisputed, even though they work to rectify that failure. The owners’ perceived criticism will be welcomed by supporters.
He whines unassisted by the sycophantic Morgan and it is clear that he has a sense of a man who can diagnose any problem except one.
Ronaldo could have accepted his role in changing culture and becoming a beacon for better times while trying to restore them. Perhaps Ten Hag could have trusted his senior player to set these standards.
This would have required more than unchecked ambition, drive, and humility. It would also have required some self-awareness and humility. Ronaldo’s message to his manager and the rest is clear. Sorry, I’m not that type of player.
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