Cristiano Ronaldo knows he doesn’t have much time left in his career. He’s likely to have one more shot at the World Cup in Qatar, unless Ronaldo waits until he’s 41 for a chance in 2026 when the rollout returns to North America. At the club level, success at an older age is easier to achieve with more options and less competition. However, the Portuguese Superstar’s reunion with Manchester United likely to end in less than a year.
Multiple claims claimed Ronaldo has made playing in the UEFA Champions League a priority for the rest of his career, hoping to leave Old Trafford this summer. Man U finished sixth in the Premier League last season and will not be playing in Europe’s top club competition this season.
Ronaldo has consistently played at UCL throughout his career with Juventus, Real Madrid and his last time in Manchester. By expressing his desire to leave, there are only a few clubs that he wants to move to, especially few months before the World Cup where playtime will be paramount.
This is the test for Ronaldo: will the biggest clubs in the world change their plans to get CR7’s services? Or will the 37-year-old have to switch to a club that qualifies for the group stage, but doesn’t have the typical squad depth of a UCL champion? An easy comparison is Lionel Messi, who secured a move to PSG from Barcelona at the age of 34. The French giants lost in the round of 16 with the Argentine legend’s only season in Paris.
Turns out Ronaldo moved to one of his old clubs outside of his home country or to a country where he had never played. I can’t see him going back to Italy for any club. Barcelona and Manchester City will not try to win his signature under any circumstances due to being nasty opponents. The remaining options of CR7 will be: Sevilla, Sporting, Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and Porto.
Exclude Atletico Madrid, Liverpool and Tottenham from the above list for the usual reasons. It’s just a cultural mismatch after Ronaldo’s past moves. Sporting was his boyhood club, playing for several levels of the franchise from 1997-2003. A comeback would be nice, but won’t lead to a chance of winning UCL. Ditto for Porto and Sevilla.
That leaves one option on that list: Chelsea.
The Blues have new owner Todd Boehly, who is looking to create buzz at the helm. With the overhaul of that club’s attacking options, the move makes a lot of sense. There have been moves between clubs in the past, such as Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic. The Blues also won the UCL last year and maybe it should be more advanced This season’s winner, Real Madrid, from their quarter-finals. If moving to London is Ronaldo’s best bet for another Champions League title, he will. And not many Man U can do that.
