RAchieving each star status in the football world is not easy. It takes a lot of effort on and off the field. And if natural talent is not enough, you need to develop it through constant effort and repetition. Cristiano Ronaldo is a clear example of this.
CR7 has captured everything a footballer can achieve on the pitch, which has led to huge revenues through both performance and sponsorship. But they all have one thing in common: success.
For the forward, that means scoring in almost every game and building a legend with each goal. That is why the Portuguese icon stands out among the best icons. He is also constantly compared to Argentine superstar Lionel Messi.
It is often said that the difference between the two is obvious. One was considered a natural talent, while the other was honed to greatness through daily practice at the practice field and polishing in official matches.
Problems between Cristiano Ronaldo and Erik ten Hag
Against this backdrop, upon his return to Manchester United, Cristiano clashed with then-Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag for refusing to carry out certain instructions from his coach.
A statement from Steve McClaren, who was part of United’s staff at The Hague, said tensions arose between the striker and the manager because the Portuguese star did not want to press his opponents as required.
There were many battles at that training ground. There were a lot of “I want you to do this, this, this, and this.” That was Eric’s coaching – Ronnie, this is your job.
The assistant coach told the Daily Mail:
I used to say to Ronnie, “All he[ten Hag]wants from you is for you to be the first presser and score one, two and if you want, a third. And then go back to the middle in case you get the ball and we can play you. That’s all he wants from you.”
In the face of what was seen as Ronaldo’s stubborn attitude, Ten Hag preferred not to use him if Ronaldo did not follow instructions. The coach didn’t want his star players to feel like they were better than the rest of the team.
If you can’t do that, you can’t play. Or if you don’t do that, you can’t play. Otherwise, he (Tembabaa) will not choose you. I’m telling you, he won’t choose you. It’s not like, other people will do that, and that’s the difference, other people will do that. But Eric said, no, I’m doing it and he (Ronaldo) has to do it, otherwise he won’t play.
It was a small fight. In a standoff rather than a battle, who would win? Eric kept his gun. I think most business owners would respond to that. Some managers are like that. But he stuck to his guns.
Tournament match goal assist
Premier League 40 19 3
UEFA Champions League 7 6 0
Europa League 6 2 2
FA Cup 1 0 0
Total 54 27 5
These figures were achieved at the end of his second spell at Manchester United in 2022, after which he moved to Al Nasr.
