DOHA: Not for the first time, Cristiano Ronaldo is trusting himself to deliver on the big stage.
A man of seemingly boundless self-belief is struggling to accept the effects of age and banking on the World Cup to launch a glorious final act to his remarkable career.
His explosive interview with Piers Morgan this week has set the stage for a make-or-break few weeks for the 37-year-old Portugal forward and left him with little room to maneuver if it goes wrong.
It’s quite the gamble. But for Ronaldo, who has written his own story in a trophy-laden career, it’s unlikely failure has even been considered.
He has very deliberately ensured the focus is on him in Qatar by waging a public war with Manchester United and putting himself on the market.
The question is whether it is a case of self-belief or self-delusion.
On the evidence of his performances on the field this season, reality has hit him hard. The burst of speed appears to have gone. The energy levels are not the same. And, perhaps most shockingly, that cutting edge just isn’t there.
Of United’s 21 games this season, Ronaldo has been involved in 16 of them and scored only three goals.
Two of those goals were against Moldovan club Sheriff FC in the Europa League — one a penalty. The other was a winner against Everton and marked the 700th of his club career.
Despite the milestone he achieved with that goal in the Premier League, those statistics provide little in the way of evidence that he is about to make an emphatic statement at the World Cup. But to hear him in that interview, it’s clear Ronaldo believes he has been underused and ill-deployed by United manager Erik ten Hag.
The World Cup is his chance to prove that point, because if he carries his club form into the tournament it’s hard to know where he will turn up next.
Even on the back of 24 goals last season he couldn’t secure a move to one of Europe’s leading clubs and there is little to suggest the picture has changed now. His willingness to call out his manager, owners and other players on international TV might make it hard for Ronaldo to attract suitors when the January transfer window opens.
Whether a challenge for the Golden Boot as top scorer in Qatar and a deep run for Portugal would change that remains to be seen. But it is surely his only chance of prolonging his career in elite soccer.
“Maybe it’s good for Manchester and probably is good for me as well to have a new chapter,” he told TalkTV.
The Premier League club responded by saying they had “initiated appropriate steps” following his actions. The termination of his contract is a possible outcome.
Even as a free agent, Ronaldo’s reported salary of about 500,000 pounds ($590,000) per week presents a considerable hurdle for other interested clubs. That’s why it’s so important for him to provide evidence he can still deliver at the highest level.
Yet Ronaldo’s off-field actions have proved more noteworthy. None more so than that interview with Morgan, where he came across as a grumpy old man blaming just about everyone else for his failure to make himself the centerpoint of a team — and possibly a sport — that is moving forward without him.
“It’s the new coaches that are coming around,” he said. “They think they find the last Coca-Cola in the desert.”
That analogy only fed the impression that he — a five-time Ballon d’Or winner who has won five Champions League titles and seven league titles in three different countries — is increasingly a player who is out of touch with the modern game.
Cristiano Ronaldo gambles on World Cup to restore reputation
https://arab.news/petym
Cristiano Ronaldo gambles on World Cup to restore reputation
- A man of seemingly boundless self-belief is struggling to accept the effects of age
- Ronaldo is banking on the World Cup to launch a glorious final act to his remarkable career
Al-Ittihad slump to fourth defeat of season in home loss to Al-Ettifaq
- Visitors’ Khalid Al-Ghannam scores only goal of the game as the reigning Saudi Pro League champs drop more points after drawing with Damac on Tuesday
- Earlier, Al-Fateh’s five-game winning streak ends with 1-1 draw against Al-Najma, and Al-Khaleej enjoy comfortable 4-1 victory over Al-Okhdood
RIYADH: Al-Ittihad’s disappointing defense of their Saudi Pro League title continued on Friday with a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Al-Ettifaq.
Khalid Al-Ghannam scored the decisive goal for the visitors as the hosts dropped more points after their draw with Damac on Tuesday.
In the absence of Fabinho, who was suspended after being sent off late in Tuesday’s match, Mahamadou Doumbia partnered with N’golo Kante in midfield for Al-Ittihad. The Malian showed his composure early on when he shielded the ball under pressure before unleashing a long-range shot in the 10th minute, but it was comfortably saved by Marek Rodak.
The deployment of Al-Ghannam proved pivotal, as he repeatedly tested the hosts. In the 23rd minute he burst down the left flank, beating three defenders with some clever dribbling before testing Predrag Rajkovic in goal, who parried the effort.
Al-Ghannam bothered the defense again just minutes later, threatening the Serbian goalkeeper with another attempt from a similar position. However, the game remained goalless at halftime.
The second half began with Al-Ittihad on the front foot. Within minutes, Roger Fernandes found himself in front of goal and put the ball in the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Al-Ghannam’s effort and influence eventually paid off for the visitors in the 54th minute. Operating as a left-sided striker during an Al-Ettifaq counterattack, he cut inside to curl a powerful shot into the far corner.
Al-Ittihad’s attacking approach varied as they fought to get back into the game, with Fernandes patrolling the left flank, Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti cutting inside near the byline, and central contributions from the combination of Doumbia and Steven Bergwijn. But the Al-Ettifaq defense remained resolute.
Danilo Pereira, pushing up into an advanced midfield position as Al-Ittihad forced Al-Ettifaq to defend deep, unleashed a long shot in the 67th minute, urged on by the home fans, but his effort went wide.
With time running out, Sergio Conceicao made four substitutions in the space of seven minutes, bringing on Ahmed Al-Julaydan at right-back for his crossing abilities, Abdulaziz Al-Bishi and Ahmed Al-Ghamdi to play between the lines, and Saleh Al-Shehri for added impetus up front.
Despite several chances, Al-Ittihad were unable to grab the equalizer, and in the 85th minute things got even worse for them. Keeper Rajkovic tripped on his way to confront a Mohau Nkota counterattack and stuck out his hand at the edge of the box to push the ball away. A review by the video assistant referee ruled he had handled the ball outside the box and he was shown the red card.
After seven minutes of added time, and one final attempt by Doumbia to salvage something for the hosts through a free-kick, the referee blew the final whistle.
It was the fourth defeat of the season for Al-Ittihad and means they remain in sixth place in the table, three behind Al-Qadsiah who have a game in hand. Al-Ettifaq are seventh, just two points behind the defending champions.
Earlier, Al-Fateh’s five-game winning streak came to an end when they returned from a trip to Qassim to face Al-Najma with only a point. The visitors took the lead in the 12th minute but a goal for the home side by Ali Jasim in the 75th denied them all three points as the game ended 1-1.
In the Eastern Province, Greek duo Giorgos Masouras and Kostas Fortounis proved the main inspirations for Al-Khaleej in a 4-1 victory over Al-Okhdood that temporarily lifted them into seventh place in the table, until Al-Ettifaq reclaimed the spot.
On Saturday, Al-Fayha face Damac, Al-Kholood take on fourth-place Al-Ahli, and second-place Al-Nassr are in action against Al-Shabab.
