A hall of fame career
Cristiano Ronaldo is a legend in the world of soccer. With five Ballon d’Ors, five UEFA Champions League titles, and a European Championship victory with Portugal to his name, he will be remembered forever.
struggling to deal with his declining powers in recent years
The 38-year-old has been struggling to deal with his declining powers in recent years, leading him to move from club to club. After an explosive departure from Manchester United, no major clubs appeared to want the troublesome star, which is why he is now playing for Al-Nassr FC in the Saudi Professional League.
He also is no longer a focal point for the national team. Fernando Santos benched Ronaldo in the 2022 World Cup knockout stages after the forward threw a fit when substituted in the last group stage game. Santos ultimately lost his job after the tournament.
Still causing trouble
Ronaldo appears to still be a tricky customer, with his most recent manager getting the boot this week. Rudi Garcia only took over Al-Nassr in June 2022 and leaves the team just three points behind the league leaders with seven games remaining. Reports emerged on Wednesday that an apparent argument with Ronaldo contributed to his demise.
The star forward reportedly had talks with the team’s upper management to discuss Garcia’s future. Despite the apparent disagreement, Ronaldo still posted a message on Instagram thanking the departing manager. The Al-Nassr under-19 coach Dinko Jeli?i? will take over the reins of the senior team for now. Some big names are being linked to the role, including Jose Mourinho and Zinedine Zidane.
A tumultuous time in Turin
The departure of Garcia means that Ronaldo has had seven managers sacked in just four years, beginning with the departure of Massimiliano Allegri from Juventus in May 2019. The club had just won its fifth consecutive Serie A under his direction, and he had the highest win percentage in the club’s history. Allegri has since returned to head Juventus.
Andrea Pirlo then took over for a single season.
Next up was Maurizio Sarri, who lasted just over 50 games when he was sacked in August 2020 following the club’s elimination from the Champions League round of 16 at the hands of Lyon. Juventus legend Andrea Pirlo then took over for a single season. Elimination once more in the Champions League round of 16 and a fourth-place finish in Serie A sealed his fate.
An ill-fated return to United
Ronaldo made the move back to England in August 2021 when he re-joined Manchester United. His former teammate Ole Gunnar Solskj?r was in charge, but just a few months later, Solskj?r stepped away following a bad string of results. United decided to appoint Ralf Rangnick as the side’s interim manager until the end of the season.
Players seemingly challenged the Rangnick’s authority, with Ronaldo in particular being very outspoken. Ronaldo questioned the appointment, saying that Rangnick wasn’t even a coach, that he was sporting director.
He even refused to come on as a substitute in one game.
Former Ajax boss Erik Ten Haag was appointed as the next permanent manager before the current season began. The Dutchman gave Ronaldo a chance to show that he was buying into his philosophy, but it didn’t take long before he was no longer a starter. He even refused to come on as a substitute in one game.
The Portuguese star then did an explosive interview with Piers Morgan in which he attacked his manager and the club as a whole. He said that he didn’t respect Hag “because he doesn’t show respect for me” and believed that the manager was trying to provoke him by not giving him many minutes of playtime. This led to a mutual termination of Ronaldo’s contract.?