Looks like the tunnel operators at Old Trafford had better be on the alert from now onwards whenever Cristiano Ronaldo is slated to play for the Reds to be in tune with the striker’s desire to make a swift, flashy exit to openly vent his frustration again each time the Portuguese fails to shine in their matches, despite him scoring or otherwise.
In both the matches against Aston Villa and Everton, the final whistle had resulted inadvertently in the great Ronaldo making an abrupt turn on his heels and making an unhesitant beeline for the corner of the Stretford End, apparently too flustered with the outcome of the match to bother with the basic decency and goodwill of sparing a bit of time for handshakes with the opposition.
While those prone to pandering to Ronaldo’s massive ego and self-aggrandizing ways all these years would rather gladly attribute this nauseous behavior to his admirable, relentless will to win that still characterizes one of the game’s greatest competitors, those more discerning and less gullible to fall for his guiles would be able to easily see that his prima donna reactions actually accentuate his refusal to accept his own personal accountability for the final outcome of those matches that do not result in clear victories that he is somehow responsible for, intentional or otherwise.
First and foremost, to storm off the pitch in such an objectionable way – and in such eagerness – belies not only the inherent haughtiness of the man who has long been ascribed true greatness for his achievements and abilities as a goalscorer and player, but also the greater issue of insecurity that’s haunting the goalscoring machine. Add to that, too, the responsibility and accountability he has as the key player the Manchester United counts so much on to fly their flag – which truly reflects their own folly and imprudence in putting almost all their eggs in one basket – after having heralded his return with such joyous celebration.
And what did he do when the odds were not in his favor? Make a hasty exit through the tunnel to show his displeasure instead of sincerely rueing the chances where he could have tried harder and done more to help secure better results. After all, United are not doling out a meager sum for his services to help them attain silverware. Yet the prima donna approach was the only ruse he could rustle up to cover up for his own inadequacies and insecurity as a player not able to maintain his previous achievements with the relative ease he had been accustomed to in his prime.
No one in his right mind would ever dare dispute Ronaldo’s ability to still score goals more than most other top-flight strikers on the pitch – short of the Champions League which is somehow an entirely different proposition altogether. But scoring goals at random and winning games consistently are two entirely different things. The latter leads to winning the elusive titles, simple as that. Merely scoring goals to keep up the status quo doesn’t.
For all his achievements and laurels received at the heights of success over more than a decade – sharing the limelight with his arch-rival and nemesis, Lionel Messi – Ronaldo is as human as they come, although he takes great care all the while not to show this mortal side of him so as not to be misconstrued as being normal as opposed to being invincible, or ‘otherworldly’ like his great rival.
The post-match victory celebrations flaunting the puffed-up abs, the angst and aggro histrionics, the trash talk and etcetera – it all looks like part of an act to cover up for a basic lack of security in his older years when the performances will inevitably begin to mellow with the passage of time. And now at 36 that time is nigh.
Although he’s won all there is to be won at the club level, the massive ego that’s been driving him obsessively all these years just would not ease off but continue to push him on to achieve more. Which is truly sad as he certainly has no need to prove anything more to anyone. Yet the ego whispers otherwise to his psyche, insisting that he cannot just leave things be while a younger rival is still attaining greater glory on a path that would soon not be parallel anymore due to age differences.
As for the week that’s been really tiresome for United, Solskjaer and Ronaldo at Old Trafford, the defeat to Villa and two more dropped points to Everton are certainly not representative of the kind of results that just won’t suffice in the Premier League title race and the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is only too well aware of that. After all, his reputation is at stake and in great peril if he bombs out this time after making a hasty exit from Juventus, where he undeniably failed to come anywhere close to his Champions League endeavors for himself and the Italian giants.
In between the Villa and Everton matches was an occasion when a possible defining moment for Ronaldo came when his 95th-minute winner against Villarreal breathed life into United’s Champions League game. The jubilation is of course to be expected for any player in his shoes, especially if the victory had been wrought against a top-flight opponent like Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Liverpool or PSG and not just a mid-table foe like Villareal. Ronaldo’s subsequent celebration, hurling his shirt high into the Manchester night sky, showed how much this really means to the Portuguese international – especially at this crucial juncture in the twilight years of his career.
CR7 was indeed fortunate to make an unexpected comeback to United and is obviously determined to add to his greatness and largesse at the former club that first brought him to the attention of the world. In his dozen years away he’s enjoyed great success with Real Madrid although having missed the mark at Juventus, and when one is driven in like manner as Ronaldo, the ego that needs to be assuaged invariably thirsts for more goals and the final accompanying medals of true glory. Enough is not a word in his vocabulary.
His three underwhelming years with Juventus were underpinned with two Serie A titles and three humbling Champions League exits, not to mention an embarrassing difficult final season when his goalscoring exploits were somehow insufficient to sustain a Serie A title challenge for the Old Lady.
The move away from Turin this summer was of course a perfect fit for both parties, with the club only too relieved to have the Portuguese’s enormous salary off their books finally. For Ronaldo at 36, he knows this is his final shot at glory and that there’s hopefully one more chapter to write in his story. Which is why the antics arising from his aggressiveness and angst are already beginning to show in these early matches with the Red Devils. Time is fast running out for the great CR7.
He might have won five Champions League titles as well as five Ballon d’Ors, but he certainly wants more so as to have a particular rival well behind in his rear-view mirror. He hasn’t returned to United to be the senior elder statesman to hand out wisdom and playing advice to younger players as part of a long-term plan to win trophies. The man is here to win now, this season and the next, if he is that blessed to last the pace. Anything else for him just isn’t good enough.
Which is also why the true frustration that has seen him head straight for the tunnel at full-time against Villa and Everton wasn’t part of the act but was indeed very real. The guilt and shame are real, and so too is the growing frustration that now so easily rears its ugly head, as if to taunt him.
Interestingly too on Friday, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was seen putting his head in his hands when asked about a story purporting that Ronaldo had told him how to set the team up to get the best out of him. Although the manager replied to the contrary, and in fact replying somewhat antagonistically that if it had happened as reported, it would have been nobody else’s business but theirs. It’s pretty obvious the arrival of the mega star has only served to pile on the pressure for the Norwegian to succeed, especially with his new load of world-class stars.
Realistically, unless Solskjaer is able to quickly find out the best ways to blend in his wide assortment of able and talented players to create more depth of quality, the situation may not bode well for Old Trafford even, or especially, with the existence of Ronaldo.
The former Juventus player seems to be only interested in what works best to make him shine above all else. Short of that, he chooses to display his frustration as a clear disapproval of the way things have played out against his expectations. His personal demonstrations of frustration actually seem tp also point an accusing finger at his manager apart from his team-mates.
It is certainly to one’s bewilderment how this seemingly plausible denial of his own responsibility and accountability can not only be tolerated but in fact be accepted with such temerity and grace – as if he is the one whose approval is needed.