Ex-United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær admits signing Cristiano Ronaldo indeed turned out to be a ‘wrong’ decision

Former Manchester United coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjær has admitted that bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford was a mistake. The manager stated he was blindsided and that the decision to recruit Ronaldo was hard to decline. 

The Ex-coach of Manchester United – during the periods of 2018 to 2021 – has revealed how he truly felt during his time at United and ‘that Ronaldo signing’. He starts by stating that Cristiano had joined as the best goalscorer in the world and was looking like a real force. His debut against Newcastle United at Old Trafford was one to behold as the stadium was, in Ole’s words, “Rocking”. Ronaldo capped off a dream debut scoring twice against Steve Bruce‘s men. “It felt so right when he signed and the fans felt that at that Newcastle game,” said Ole.

“Things went against us….a late penalty miss,” Ole spoke as he reminisced about that defeat that turned out to be the catalyst of his downfall back in September of 2021. United fell to the hand of Watford as the bad times continued. In humiliating fashion, Watford came out 4-1 victors. “We almost turned it around, until Harry Maguire got sent off,” Ole believes. This game spelt the end of Ole’s tenure as the coach. Manchester United then appointed Ralf Rangnick. Ole’s sentiments of Ronaldo not being a good signing were shared by Jamie Carragher. Carragher constantly criticized the signing claiming that Ronaldo, 36, – while still a good goalscorer- will not contribute much to United outside of it. 

When United fans look back now, some may agree with Carragher and what he said. Ole has clearly stated that it was wrong. However, fans will not forget his return to Old Trafford after all those years. Peter Drury made the moment even more magical.

Related: Robert Lewandowski joins an elite list featuring Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi after scoring his 100th goal in European competitions

Cristiano Ronaldo since leaving Manchester United

The Portuguese was without a club for a while after the Pier Morgan interview was released. The player and the club mutually agreed to terminate his contract after the contents of the interview painted Manchester United in a bad light. Ronaldo had held nothing back criticizing the players, youth players, and infrastructure and lastly stated that he had no respect for current manager Erik ten Hag.

Al Nassr came calling and the Portuguese signed the contract which put him on extraordinary wages. The player is currently earning a reported, £3.4 Million a week. Fans were quick to ridicule the player for his decision to play in the Middle East. The jokes increased after Ronaldo stated that he believed the Saudi Pro League could be top 5 leagues in the world in the future. Since his statements, some of the best players around Europe have joined the Saudi clubs. The likes of Karim Benzema, Neymar and Sadio Mane are just some of the names.

Fans of the player are glad to see their star leave the ‘toxic environment’ of Manchester United. The Al Nasser forward has been firing at all cylinders since joining the club and currently has 7 goals in 5 appearances in the league this season. He has been loving life in the Middle East.

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