Cristiano Ronaldo’s efforts to force through a transfer away from Manchester United this summer could be hamstrung by his dream of winning the World Cup.
Ronaldo has informed United that he wants to be granted a transfer away from the club. He is desperate to play in the Champions League next season so he can further his legacy in the competition and is frustrated by what he sees as United’s sluggish recruitment in the transfer window.
The 37-year-old missed United’s pre-season tours of Thailand and Australia for family reasons, but has now returned to Manchester from Portugal. He held showdown talks with Erik ten Hag on Tuesday and is still determined to leave.
His desire to leave is clear, but turning that into a reality is extremely difficult. Chelsea, Napoli, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid and Sporting Lisbon have all been linked with him, but nothing concrete has emerged yet. That is largely due to his colossal £500,000-a-week wages, which not many clubs can afford in the post-Covid world, while Atleti have their own fans’ anger to contend with.
Ronaldo also doesn’t have a strong bargaining position. He is under contract with United until June 2023, while the club also has the option of extending it by a further 12 months. Ten Hag has made it clear he expects the Portuguese striker to fulfil his contract. “We are planning with Cristiano for this season, so that’s it and I am looking forward to working with him,” he said on July 11. “Cristiano is not for sale.” At present there is little Ronaldo can do about that, unless an eye-popping offer comes in.
Over the years players have tried every trick in the book to force through a transfer, but the most obvious way of doing so isn’t open to Ronaldo: refusing to play. Like many players, Ronaldo has one eye on the Qatar World Cup this season. He wants to be in peak fitness and in good form when the tournament rolls around at the end of November. Going on strike at United would not help him add the ultimate trophy to his bulging collection.
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“My goal, and I imagine it with my eyes closed, is to have a very, very bright future,” he said last year. “We (Portugal) won Euro 2016 and now we want to win the World Cup. My dream is to always win with Portugal. I’ve won two titles, including the Nations League, and now I want the World Cup. I’ve won trophies at every club I’ve been at, the World Cup is my big dream.”
United don’t start their season for another 10 days and a lot can happen in that time, especially when the transfer window doesn’t close until September 1. But Ronaldo cannot gamble his World Cup preparation on getting another chance to further his legacy in the Champions League.
Ten Hag and United chief executive Richard Arnold have now spoken face-to-face with Ronaldo about his future. They should be confident that, if they really do want to keep hold of Ronaldo, they have the stronger hand in this game of poker.
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