CR700: The legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is a cult hero in my household. Growing up, my mum would always tell me that he truly is the best the game has ever seen. Despite criticism, at the age of 37, he recently scored his 700^th club goal, a feat that must not be overlooked. With a career spanning two decades and four clubs, Ronaldo has carved his name into the history books.

Every transfer window, every deadline day, we would sit in front of Sky Sports News as a family and find out who we would have the joy of seeing play every week at Old Trafford, and often we were disappointed. My mum would usually remark that we should just bring Ronaldo back, a comment that my dad often claimed to be ridiculous, and I tended to agree with him. Since leaving United he had gone on to win copious amounts of silverware, partnered with a Ballon D’or or five. He was arguably one of the most recognisable names not just in football, but in sport as a whole. The thought of him coming back to a United team that was in a state of disarray was unthinkable.

You can imagine the surprise when that notification came through; Cristiano Ronaldo returns to Manchester United. There was definitely a sense of excitement, but this was easily overshadowed by this palpable nervous energy. It is through this you come to realise, truly comprehending the legacy of Ronaldo through the eyes of those who watched him grow up in front of them offers a totally new narrative to that of those who simply see him as a goalscoring machine.

There was definitely scepticism regarding Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford; questions of whether he could still handle the physicality of the Premier League or if he would inhibit the growth of the younger players so vital to United’s ethos by taking away their minutes on the pitch. However, this was countered with talks of experience and a winning mentality. United before Ronaldo were toothless and could never get over the line. It felt like coming back to Manchester would truly make or break Ronaldo and either cement his place in the hall of fame or tarnish his whole career.

Ronaldo is protected by his achievements and that is why this 700-goal threshold that he has hit is used as proof of his legend status

At first, he was a success, scoring 18 goals in the Premier League and, maybe more importantly, seeming to rescue United from potentially catastrophic situations. Ronaldo seemed to bring back a feel-good factor and there was an aura that we were in the presence of a true great. Then the end of the season came, no silverware in sight and a poor positional finish in the league. Blame seemed to be hushed away from the Portuguese international though, and as he claimed the player of the year award, the question was asked as to where United would be without Ronaldo – I’m still not sure about the answer to that question.

Flash forward a couple of months; Ronaldo has just scored his 700^th goal. You wouldn’t be laughed at for thinking he is still the focal point of United’s attack, especially after all the praise the previous year. To score 700 goals, you must be gifted, and there’s no denying that Ronaldo is. The stat is tainted though. As I write this, Ronaldo has not featured on the pitch in United’s last two matches. There definitely feels like there is a conflict between the player and the club. Despite social media claiming he is still committed, there is a sense among fans that this is the beginning of the end. Yet, whispers still claimed that a missed opportunity from Rashford against Chelsea would’ve hit the back of the net had Ronaldo had his boot around it.

Maybe that is his legacy – regardless of poor performances, Ronaldo is protected by his achievements and that is why this 700-goal threshold that he has hit is used as proof of his legend status. It is impossible to look back on Ronaldo’s career and not see a true great of the game, and from a personal perspective seeing him come back to Manchester to reach that momentous number just feels right.