Brilliant Ronaldo shows he’s not finished at Man Utd yet
Robin Bairner
- 16 Apr 2022 17:05 BST
- 3 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo showed on Saturday that he still has a major role to play at Manchester United – no matter what the future may hold.
Ronaldo scored all three goals for the Red Devils as they picked up a 3-2 victory over Norwich City, which has dragged them back into the Champions League race thanks to Tottenham and Arsenal surprisingly losing against Brighton and Southampton respectively.
The Portuguese great, who has five Ballon d’Or titles to his name, has endured a difficult season. He has never finished below fourth in a domestic league previously, but as Man Utd squandered a 2-0 advantage against the Canaries, who are certainties for Premier League relegation, it seemed inevitable that this could be an unwanted first for the 37-year-old.
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It was Ronaldo who had got his team into a winning position in the first place, scoring a first-half double before the visitors fought back and even looked the stronger side as the game entered its closing stages.
The veteran then showed his match-deciding quality with the fixture in the balance. He stood over a free kick 30 yards out and executed a brilliant strike that ultimately won his side the game.
Victory was priceless to Man Utd – and potentially to incoming manager Erik ten Hag, who has been threatened with a transfer budget of just £20 million should the Red Devils fail to reach the Champions League.
13 years (yesterday) since one of Ronaldo's greatest EVER goals 🚀pic.twitter.com/SFWobLftfe
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) April 16, 2022
While Ronaldo’s future under the Ajax boss has been placed in doubt, he is showing all the winning qualities that have made him a serial champion throughout his career.
Even if he does leave the club in the summer, he will not do so without leaving his mark on the team.
There are six games remaining to save Manchester United’s season – and Cristiano Ronaldo is clearly desperate to maximise his team’s return in every one.
