In the summer of 2021, Cristiano Ronaldo made an emotional return to Old Trafford, rejoining Manchester United after leaving 12 years earlier for a successful spell at Real Madrid. The Portuguese superstar, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner with multiple Champions League titles, had high expectations upon his return. Former United coach Mike Phelan spoke to Sky Sports about Ronaldo’s second stint, describing it as a dream move that turned into a nightmare.
Phelan mentioned that Ronaldo came back with a stronger mindset, having experienced success at United, being a key player for Portugal, and achieving great things at Madrid. Ronaldo maintained his high standards and pushed those around him to raise their game. However, there were times when his efforts were not met with the desired response, leading to frustration.
During Ronaldo’s first spell at United, he arrived as a young, ambitious player with the belief that he would become the best in the world. Phelan highlighted Ronaldo’s exceptional skill set and work ethic, which influenced his teammates and created a sense of something special within the squad.
Phelan commented:
“The second time round, he came in a lot older and a lot more opinionated, strong-willed. He still had massively high standards and was terrific to work with. But I’d probably say a tougher mindset. He had been at Man United, he had been Portugal’s ever-present, he had been at Madrid.
I liked it because he didn’t want his standards to drop, he wanted other people’s standards to come up. And sometimes you lose a few people along the way when that happens. I remember certain times when he pushed and pushed hard, and he didn’t get much reaction or much response. And there was frustration.”
Ronaldo scored 118 goals for United in his initial tenure, winning the Golden Ball and Champions League along the way. His second stint with the club ended in November 2022, and he is currently playing for Al-Nassr at the age of 38, continuing to excel for both club and country.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
PortugalThis season he played in total 4 times for 356 minutes for Pro League.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 5 goals for Al Nassr. He procured 4 assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 6th in Pro League. In the last match Al Nassr won 5-1 against Al Hazm. The next match in Pro League will be against Al Raed.
Al Nassr performance and stats
Al Nassr is currently 6th in the Pro League with 9 points.
In the last 5 games, it has won 3 times and lost twice. In its last match, Al Nassr won 1-5 against Al Hazm.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 15 goals and conceding 5.
Al Nassr will play the next match in Pro League against Al Raed on Saturday 16th of September in Buraydah. The prediction is Al Nassr winning the match.
