Cristiano Ronaldo has incredibly pitched the idea of returning to Manchester United for a third stint – but this time as club owner.
Ronaldo, 39, reiterated his love for Manchester United before suggesting he could fix his ‘sick’ former side during the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards.
He also backed Ruben Amorim by insisting his fellow countryman is not to blame for the Old Trafford club’s current problems.
Amorim is starting to feel the pressure after United dropped down to 14th spot in the Premier League after a 2-0 defeat at Wolves on Boxing Day but Ronaldo has intimated he knows what needs to happen to awaken the sleeping giants.
Speaking on Friday, Ronaldo insisted a significant overhaul would be required for the club to return to its former glory.
‘[The] Premier League it’s the most difficult league in the world,’ he said.
Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed he could be the man to turn around Manchester United’s fortunes
The 39-year-old appeared at the Globe Soccer Awards ceremony on Friday, accompanied by his partner, Georgina Rodriguez
Ronaldo’s ill-fated return to United ended acrimoniously in 2022, after he publicly criticised the way the club was ran
‘All the teams are good, all the teams fight, all the teams run, all the teams are strong. Football is different right now. There’s no easy games any more.
‘They need, I said this one year and a half ago, and I will continue to say it: The problem is not the coaches, it’s like… I always give this example… it’s like an aquarium.
‘If you have the fish inside and he’s sick and you take him out and you fix the problem and you put him again in an aquarium you will be sick again.
‘The problem of Manchester United is the same. The problem is not always the coach. It’s much more than that.’
In addition to highlighting the problems that he believes have caused the club to stagnate in recent years, Ronaldo also made the bold claim that he personally could be the man to fix them.
He continued: ‘If I will be the owner of the club, I will make things clear and adjust things that are bad there.’
Despite receiving a hero’s welcome on his return, Ronaldo’s second spell at Old Trafford would ultimately come to an acrimonious end.
After a public falling out with Erik ten Hagsaw him frozen out, Ronaldo made a number of explosive claims in a TV interview that led to United terminating his contract.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos group assumed control of football operations at United 12 months ago
But results on the pitch are yet to improve, with the club in the midst of their worst-ever Premier League start
Ronaldo insisted the blame should not be pointed at his former Portugal team-mate Ruben Amorim
Instead he suggested that the malaise was a symptom of wider issues within the club
In the two years since, much has changed at Old Trafford, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe‘s Ineos Group assuming control of football operations after years of fan unrest under the Glazer regime, and Ten Hag sacked in October.
Prior to his bitter exit, Ronaldo had been openly critical about the state of the infrastructure surrounding United.
Reports following his return claimed the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was left astounded that the club’s Carrington training base had barely changed in the more than a decade since his initial departure.
In particular, Ronaldo complained about the state of the complex’s on-site pool, claiming that ‘loose, chipped and missing tiles’ represented a danger to players and insisted he would not use the facilities until they had been revamped.
Ronaldo’s discontent was such that he joined a local luxury gym, shocking patrons with his presence at the £255-a-month facility in Knutsford.
The 39-year-old had previously been outspoken on his views on the Glazer family, who have owned the club since 2005.
In his notorious TalkTV interview with Piers Morgan in 2021 that served as the final nail in the coffin for his return to United, Ronaldo alleged Joel and Avram Glazer ‘don’t care’ about the club.
‘The owners of the club, the Glazers, they don’t care about the club,’ he said.
Ronaldo had previously taken aim at Avram and Joel Glazer, United’s owners since 2005
In a 2022 interview the five-time Ballon d’Or winner alleged the pair ‘don’t really care’ about the club
‘I mean, professional sport, as you know this, Manchester (United) is a marketing club.
‘They will get its money from the marketing – the sport, they don’t really care, in my opinion.’
‘You have some things inside the club which don’t help Manchester (United) reach the top level as City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal, for example… which is complicated, it’s difficult.
‘You have some things inside the club which don’t help Manchester (United) reach the top level as City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal, for example… which is complicated, it’s difficult.’
Thursday’s loss against strugglers Wolves condemned United to their eighth Premier League defeat of the season.
With just 22 points from their opening 18 games, the 20-time top flight champions sit closer to the relegation zone than they do the top four.
United return to action on Monday night when they play host to Eddie Howe’s Newcastle.