Ronaldo – Stay or Leave?

By Brian Lofrumento | 7th June 2008

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Yes, it was inevitable that there would be a blog entry about Cristiano Ronaldo. He is undoubtedly the hottest topic in world football at the moment and as a Manchester United fan I felt the need to directly address this issue.

Ronaldo has been at United for five seasons now – two of which have been spectacular, free-scoring seasons. He came to the club after Becks left and has flourished under Sir Alex Ferguson and Carlos Queiroz. When he arrived, however, he was often said to be a one trick pony – someone who could do fancy things but didn’t have the end product that separates the great from the good. United has supplied Ronaldo with that final missing piece and it has all come to fruition this season as he racked up an amazing 42 goals.

Throughout all of this, United fans and staff have sided with Ronaldo on many controversial topics. When he first came to the club he was accused of being a massive diver, yet United fans stuck with him as he got over this bad habit. In 2006 the entire nation got on his case, yet United fans and Fergie sided with him. When his father died and alleged controversies with Ruud came up, Fergie and Queiroz promptly dealt with the problem and shipped Ruud off to Madrid. The bottom line is that United fans have never turned their backs on Ronaldo.

Now, when United is finally at the peak of their powers in England and in Europe once again, Ronaldo decides he wants to go to Madrid. In my opinion this is blatant disrespect to the United fans, the entire staff at United which have made Ronaldo the player he is, and fans of the Premiership. Ronaldo is at the best club in Europe and arguably the best league in the world, yet he wants to leave for a perennial underachiever in Real Madrid. Yes, they have won back-to-back Spanish titles, but what have they done in Europe lately? There is no footballing benefit that Madrid has over Manchester, and that is a disgrace that Ronaldo chooses to base his professional career on outside preferences. Sure, the weather is better, but what is he going to think when he plays in a stadium that isn’t full and he watches his former teammates in another Champion’s League final on TV?

In the end, as a United fan who has adored Ronaldo for the past 5 years, I am torn in between this entire saga. On one hand Ronaldo is the player that has made me jump out of my seat time and time again and the player whose name I constantly wear on my back. But then again, he is discarding the fans, his teammates, and his coaches. Slowly I am beginning to see a United future without Ronaldo – one where the players’ love of the club pushes them on to further glory. Look at players like Keane when he was here, how he pushed us beyond Juventus in 1999 solely because of his determination to make United succeed. Look at Ryan Giggs, who has spent his entire career at United and has won trophy after trophy. Ronaldo could join this elite class of United legends if he wants to, yet for some reason he wants to give it all up. I think Becks has it right when he says Ronaldo should stay – I’m sure in his mind Beckham even regrets leaving United.

Remember, no one is irreplaceable, and no player has ever been bigger than United. Even our talisman Eric Cantona leaving couldn’t stop the club from achieving further glory. Ronaldo, with or without you United will succeed. The question remains: do you want to be part of United’s success or a mere bystander?