Cristiano Ronaldo could one day return to Manchester United in a coaching capacity according to his former teammate Louis Saha.
Ronaldo won the first of his five Ballons d’Or under Sir Alex Ferguson as he blossomed into a global superstar at Old Trafford before joining Real Madrid in 2009.
More than a decade later, the prodigal son returned in a 2021 switch from Juventus. Prolific form to thrill the masses at the Theatre of Dreams gave way to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking as manager and Ronaldo’s struggles under interim replacement Ralf Rangnick.
Those continued once Erik ten Hag took the reins and a mid-season escape to Al Nassr was agreed after an incendiary interview with Piers Morgan.
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Ronaldo is 40 next year, with his playing days at United surely at an end. However, Saha believes his old colleague has something to offer as a coach.
"Cristiano Ronaldo has the passion and dedication to return to Manchester United one day," Saha told TVSporten, in quotes reported by The Mirror. "That could be as a coach or even a manager.
"His second spell didn’t end how everyone had hoped and you can see why that frustrated him. He didn’t see the same formula and didn’t see the passion from young players that he had been used to seeing."
Ronaldo’s single-minded hunger for goals has sometimes cast him as a solitary and aloof figure during his storied career, with some of histrionics in Saudi delving dangerously close to self-parody.
However, the veteran forward is still evidently adored by his Portugal international teammates and Saha believes Ronaldo will have the wherewithal to adjust to life as a coach.
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"Now he will know that he needs to find a new way to communicate when he becomes a coach, which maybe isn’t as harsh or direct as it was when he was at the club,” he added.
"He will work out how to be successful and use all his knowledge to do that; we’ve seen Roy Keane go into management and have success. Cristiano will understand what he needs to do as a manager. I see no reason why he wouldn’t be a success."
