■ The transfer market closes on the 2nd of next month… Manchester United seek a replacement for Ronaldo
Manchester United fail to qualify for Champions League
Direct transfer to other clubs
Missing Team Preseason Tour
“My greed while neglecting my team
Ugly hair as a legend is Gyereuk”
Cristiano Ronaldo (37, Manchester United, photo), who is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, has become a rook. He has won the Ballon d’Or five times, the highest honor of a footballer, but has been criticized for ignoring his team and ignoring his own greed. Ronaldo received applause for his return to Manchester United last season. Many fans were enthusiastic about the return of the world star who was with the team in their prime. However, within a year, the situation changed dramatically. Ronaldo was replaced in the second half of the English Premier League (EPL) opening game held at Old Trafford, Manchester, England on the 7th (Korean time) and was booed by the home crowd. Ronaldo left no attacking points, and Manchester United lost 1-2 to Brighton and Hove Albion. The new director, Eric Ten Haach, bowed his head even before his debut.
Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017. 2nd place in this category. Only rival Lionel Messi (7th, Paris Saint-Germain) is ahead of Ronaldo. Ronaldo is still showing off his outstanding skills, and last season he finished third in the Premier League (18 goals). But this season, it has become a problem. Ronaldo has been criticized both inside and outside the club for his reckless transfer this season. He did not attend Manchester United’s pre-season tour following direct inquiries about clubs that could sign him, which had a negative impact on teamwork.
The reason Ronaldo is pushing for a transfer despite criticism is because of his desire to play in the UEFA Champions League. Ronaldo is called the ‘Man of the Champions League’ with the most goals scored in the Champions League (140 goals) and the most appearances (183 games). He hopes to further widen the gap with his rival Messi before his retirement. Messi is the second most goalscorer in the history of the Champions League (125 goals) and the third most appearances (156 matches). However, Manchester United finished sixth in the Premier League last season and failed to secure a place in the Champions League, which is given 1st to 4th place.
However, no clubs are looking to sign Ronaldo. Because it takes tens of billions of dollars to bring him in. Manchester United paid Juventus (Italy) 15 million euros (about 20.1 billion won) to sign Ronaldo last season. Ronaldo’s annual salary is reported to be £26.8 million (42.5 billion won), the number one in the EPL. In addition, although everyone acknowledges Ronaldo’s skills, he is concerned that it will be a negative for teamwork because he does not respect his contract with the club and acts arbitrarily.
Tenhach announced that Ronaldo would remain on the job immediately after taking office. Another problem was that there was no striker to replace Ronaldo due to Anthony Martial’s hamstring injury. Coach Tenhach is inevitably convincing Ronaldo to please him. In the pre-season friendly match, Ronaldo was briefly criticized for leaving work early, but in the EPL opening game, he defended him and continued courting.
Manchester United are trying to convince Ronaldo to sign a replacement. The EPL summer transfer window closes at 7 am on the 2nd of next month. Until then, if you recruit a top-notch striker, you may be able to send out Ronaldo, who has lost the love of his fans. But it’s not easy. Manchester United tried to sign Marco Arnautovic from Bologna (Italy), but gave up on criticism from fans as a ‘B-class striker’. Because there is no suitable person, even an unverified player is being mentioned as a substitute for Ronaldo. The British media Mirror raised the question of PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)’s Cody girdle. Gakpo, who made his professional debut in 2018, was tied for 10th in scoring with 12 goals in the Dutch Eredivisie last season, but it is questionable whether he will work in the EPL. DC United manager Wayne Rooney, who led Manchester United’s heyday as a 37-year-old with Ronaldo, said, “We have to let Ronaldo go,” he stressed.
Reporter Heo Jong-ho [email protected]
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