Despite recent struggles, Cristiano Ronaldo is still a transformational figure in football

The Portuguese talisman has always strived to push the boundaries and continues to do so at the top of his sport.

In boxing circles, there is a common theme for those coming close to the end of their careers. A sense that every fighter gets and experiences the closer they get to their last fight. 

Obviously, they all hope to end their fighting days on a high. Still, ultimately it’s very common that their careers end in somewhat humiliating circumstances when they keep fighting until the very bitter end. 

Some, especially in the media, feel Cristiano Ronaldo is now in the middle of a footballing equivalent of this well-worn scenario.

Before the World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo had been little more than a bit-part player at Old Trafford, with new Man United manager Erik ten Hag opting to use the veteran as an impact player off the bench, clearly not a position the 37-year-old wanted or perhaps even expected. 

Last season he did, after all, finish as the club’s top-scorer with a creditable total of 24 goals in all competitions, but that holds little water when a new manager comes into town and is looking, quite rightly, to put his stamp on things.

The World Cup should have acted as a welcome diversion for the Portuguese national team hero, but it’s all turned rather sour. 

Before the tournament kicked off, Fernando Santos and his squad were considered dark horses, and as you can see from this Sidelines.io article, Portugal was set for some challenging but entirely winnable clashes in the group stages of the competition. 

As with his club side, Cristiano Ronaldo found himself at loggerheads with his coach, and this led to him being hauled off during their last group-stage clash against South Korea. It’s a decision he didn’t exactly appreciate, showing his dissatisfaction in no uncertain terms. This led to him being dropped for Portugal’s Round of 16 match with Switzerland. 

His replacement, Benfica youngster Goncalo Ramos netted a hat-trick, effectively vindicating Santos’s decision. The quarter-final match with Morocco once again saw Ronaldo benched, and on this occasion, he was called upon early in the second half but failed to prevent his side’s elimination at the hands of Morocco.

So what now for Cristiano Ronaldo? It should not be forgotten that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is arguably one of the best players to have ever played the game, but that doesn’t mean that his recent behaviour has been acceptable, and it’s unfortunate that both his club and national team careers look set to end in less than glorious fashion.

Man United and Ronaldo came to a mutual decision to rescind his contract. The five-time Champions League winner, who has netted an astounding 701 times in club football and a world record 118 national team goals, should have his pick of top clubs. Still, it appears his ambitions of a move to a European giant may not be forthcoming and a deal to take him to Saudi Arabia seems the most likely next step in a glittering career that shouldn’t have ended in such a damp squib.