The summer transfer window of 2021 might go down as the most memorable in history. A window which saw French giants PSG acquire Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi, Genie Wijnaldum, and Gianluigi Donnarumma for just £54 million, Manchester City break the British transfer record by signing Jack Grealish for £100 million, and Shamrock Rovers pocket a cool £200,000 after selling midfielder Aaron McEneff to Hearts..
Friday the 27th of August saw the pièce de résistance however, as Manchester United announced the return of one of their favourite sons, Cristiano Ronaldo, in one of the fastest moving transfers of recent times.
A sensational transfer in its own right, United fans will savour it all the more given that it appeared Ronaldo was snatched from their cross-city rivals at the eleventh hour.
As rumours began to circulate that Ronaldo and Juventus had agreed a deal with Man City, outrage and despondency became the order of the day across the red half of Manchester. Shirts were burned, insults were thrown, and hearts were broken as the idea of United’s former wunderkind suiting up in sky blue began to grip the footballing world.
It soon became apparent that the powers that be at United couldn’t stomach this possibility either. According to most media outlets, United legends and current players alike were instrumental in hijacking Ronaldo’s potential move to City, convincing him to return instead to Old Trafford.
So, three weeks and an international break later, we find ourselves on the eve of Ronaldo’s second United debut.
For years there has always been speculation about whether Ronaldo would return to the club in which he made his name. Most transfer windows saw ludicrous speculation on his future at Real Madrid and his relationship with the manager or president, and the more gullible of United fans would rub their hands together waiting for Ed Woodward to pounce.
I never wanted him to re-join United. I had visions of him coming back to Old Trafford and being a shadow of his former self, unable to live up to the weight of expectation that would inevitably come with his return. I fully expected him to join a long line of Manchester United flops, and tarnish his legacy as a United player.
It seems I wasn’t alone in harbouring these doubts. The questions on many pundits’ lips are mostly concerned with what level of production we can expect from a 36 year old in the twilight of his career.
Now however, I find myself holding a very different opinion. As I consider the queries and questions of those pundits who doubt what Ronaldo can bring to the Manchester United side, I find it difficult to care. Where once I would have been wrought with anxiety about Ronaldo’s legacy being left in tatters, the nature of his transfer this summer has dispelled any of these fears.
Coming a hair’s breadth from having to watch one of our greatest ever players don that abhorrent City third shirt has put the idea of a ‘legacy’ very much in perspective.
If Ronaldo scores just three goals from the penalty spot and one more from open play during the course of his two year spell back at the club, the impact this will have on his legacy pales in comparison to the irreparable damage playing for Manchester City would have done.
So, as Old Trafford prepares to welcome Ronaldo back tomorrow, I plan on sitting back and enjoying the ride, for good or ill. It will be a pleasure to watch him pull on the famous red shirt of Manchester United once again.
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