Has Ronaldo RUINED His Manchester United Legacy? | Debate

Joe hosts as Webby and Jay debate whether or not Ronaldo remains a legend of the club following his recent interview with Piers Morgan in which he slated the club and Erik Ten Hag!

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[Itsthecreative]

In terms of his legacy, if the likes of Schmeichel, Keane, Rooney and many others who've had controversial times at the club, are still deemed club legends, so should he. Yes it's sad how it's ending, but it doesn't delete the history he created prior.

[cleehomes]

To be a United legend you have to love the club, Robson, Charlton, Scholes, Law, Giggs and Cantona are club legends!

[fantaguyrealx]

Whoever's reading this, i pray that whatever you're going through gets better and whatever you're struggling with or worrying about is going to be fine and that everyone has a fantastic day! Amen

[Backfire]

I think for many fans like myself who only really started following United around 2013, this'll be one of the core memories of Ronaldo. Not him winning the Ballon D'or or scoring 40 goals a season. As a united player, I'll remember him as the player who scored a very good amount of goals in a trash team one season, and then was the worst professional possible in the second. And obviously that Portsmouth freekick because it's impossible to not see that in the highlights

[UnitedFerrariLakers]

No legends would hurt their club, disrespect their managers and take away spotlights when the rest of the team were fighting for the win on the pitch.

[minimeee]

Ronaldo is responsible for all that has happened to him from the day he asked for a transfer and not a single club came in for him.

[feynmanschwingere_mc]

Any United fan who thinks Cristiano Ronaldo isn't a club legend has the IQ of a plastic spoon or is just a prisoner of the moment. Maradona is a Napoli legend for what he did in ONE SEASON ALONE for them. Longevity is not mandatory for "legendary" status because George Best had a short peak and is still considered a club legend. The biggest criticism of Best has ALWAYS been: he lacked longevity, yet he's still a club legend. Let's not get stupid here because of one interview.

Arsenal and Chelsea were running things in the EPL when Ronaldo joined the club. However, when he came into his own in 2006/2007 Manchester United DOMINATED the Prem with some all-time great teams (Arsenal's Undefeated club, Mourinho's stacked Chelsea teams, Liverpool with prime Torres and Gerrard and Xabi Alonso and Mascherano).

Ronaldo is CLEARLY a club legend because he did things NO UNITED PLAYER HAS EVER DONE. Ever. If that's not a criteria for legendary status, then nothing is.

Ronaldo is in the conversation for the greatest FREE KICK TAKER IN EPL HISTORY. Most direct free-kicks scored in a single Premier League season:

1. 5 Laurent Robert (2001/02)
1b. 5 David Beckham (2000/01)
2. 4 Cristiano Ronaldo (2007/08)
2b. 4 Cristiano Ronaldo (2008/09)

Ronaldo has the Club record for most goals in a single season by a winger (and 2nd most goals in a single season by ANY UNITED PLAYER EVER - 42 IN 2007/2008, only behind Van Nistelrooy's 44, but RVN did it playing more games than Ronaldo did).

Ronaldo is the ONLY United player, since they began keeping track of assists, to ever LEAD the EPL in assists, whilst finishing top 3 in goals, top 5 in chances created while also leading the league in dribbles completed. No player, before or since, has ever done that in a season (2006/2007). It is why he is ALSO the only United Player EVER to finish top 2 in Ballon D'or voting 3 straight years: 2007/2008/2009 (no other United player has ever come close to doing this).

Ronaldo has the SINGLE SEASON RECORD in the EPL for most game-winning goals (2007/2008), the same year he tied the single season EPL goal record (despite not playing every game that season).

United went to back to back UCL Finals with Ronaldo and came within a terrible missed penalty call by the Refs in 2007/2008 vs Portsmouth of winning the Treble. Ronaldo CARRIED United in big UCL games that were on a knife's edge: 2007/2008 Final (go-ahead goal), 2008/2009 QF Porto Golazo which sent them through, brace + assist vs Arsenal in the SF before losing a close Finals in 2008/2009 to one of the best club teams ever.

In 2008/2009 he was SECOND in goals despite dealing with a serious ankle injury which required surgery - and he never complained or used it as an excuse. He even gave United one more season than he was supposed to. Him and Sir Alex agreed that he would be allowed to leave to go to Madrid in 2008, but Sir Alex didn't think they would be able to win the league without him and thought he had a chance at back-to-back UCL titles so he broken the agreement out of love and fidelity to Sir Alex. But of course, United fans have short memories and are not re-writing the history to frame him as some megalomaniac mercenary "who only cares about himself." Lies.

Even last season, which United fans seems confused about: he was top 3 in goals last season despite playing less minutes than any other player in the top 10 in goals. He was top 7 in the Champions League in Goals despite not advancing past the R16. He scored MORE goals vs the EPLs elite (the top 6) than any player in the EPL last season...And he wasn't even the teams primary penalty taker (Brunos penalty misses, and the sitters he missed, ALONE cost United a Champions League spot). United fans and the media made him the scapegoat for last years failures despite the fact that Harry Maguire was the worst defender in Europe last season and United's DEFENSE was atrocious. The club cycled through 3 managers while integrating 3 key new players.

What did you guys expect was going to happen considering the club hadn't won a trophy in 4 years? United hadn't beaten Villareal in 7 attempts, until Ronaldo came, and they beat them twice last season. The same Villareal team that Bayern AND Real Madrid couldn't beat in 4 attempts, a pedestrian United side beat twice...thanks to game-winning goals from Cristiano Ronaldo. In fact, he scored more goals vs Villareal in 2 games than Real Madrid and Bayern (with Lewandowsky and Benzema) did in FOUR GAMES COMBINED as a TEAM.

And here's the punchline: Last season, when Ronaldo did not play, United did not win a SINGLE GAME. Not one.

But now he's "tarnished his legacy" for essentially parroting the same things: Mourinho, Alexis Sanchez, Ibrahamovic, Pogba, and others have said about the club's management under the Glazers?

Manchester Myopia. Like I said, if you don't think Ronaldo is a United LEGEND you have the IQ of a plastic spoon and forget how the George Best era ended (him not showing up for practice AND games), Keane (twice), Beckham, even Ruud.

But haters gonna hate. Carry on.

[PNW_Charles]

Of course not. He's had a rough period, and hasn't handled it as well as he could. He's clearly struggling with his emotional fortitude and resilience. I can't imagine how the loss of a child has long term, knock on effects, which may manifest at odd times, and/or in odd ways. He's just a guy, imperfect as the rest of humanity. In a few years this silliness won't even matter.

[stabbo]

I also think there's a distinction between being one of our best players and being a legend, there's an extra element of romance involved.

[daveclarke]

Lets just say his legacy has been tarnished, which is a great pity. There is nothing he has said so far that we did not know already and nothing he would not have been aware of prior to signing his contract. From what we have seen so far he has not mentioned the Glazers directly, only by implication. Going in on Ragnik and Ten Hag is the deal breaker, and he knows it, which I suspect is why he has done it.

[deathstarresident]

You cannot deny facts and Ronaldo’s record with the club is a fact. No one else have scored more goals in a single Premier League season for United. It’s kind of impossible to dispute that he is the best player to have ever emerged out of United. As much as it saddens me to see it end in a bitter spat - no one can deny what he has done.

[yvngxd-lo]

He absolutely still is a United legend but this doesn't help and leaves a bad taste in the mouth of all of us. The same happened with Beckham, Keane and van Nistelrooy.

[Cheshire]

No, it hasn't ruined his legacy, as that will be defined by his accomplishments on the field.

That's a big part of the problem with his actions here - He's stopped performing on the field and started pulling shit like not coming on to play. There's no moral high ground for Ronaldo here at all. He hasn't ruined his legacy, but he's ruined his relationship with the club and the fans who are supporting the manager, and done it as a time where his team mates are performing and he's not.

His attack on ETH's character suggesting there was a lack of respect from him is impossible to forgive. Can't wait for him to go - Wouldn't put him in the U23s or anything, those youngsters need positivity around them, not a man-child having a meltdown about his decline as a player.

[TheIrulex]

I saw Webby playing at wythy park in his later years. That tarnished his legacy lol.

[eatasandwich]

He was so eager to get out of United the first time that he called himself a slave. Since coming back people like to say that he chose United, but all the reports said that United were the only ones who'd pay Juventus's demands. If City decided to push through with the move, he would have been happy to go and win titles with them. Not even mentioning the shit housery he caused ever since he came back. How can anyone call him a club legend? Call him a successful player in his first stint, one of the best talents to ever play for the club, but a legend is a status that is given to players who do more than play well for the club. Ronaldo left United in his peak and spent his best seasons on the team he actually wanted to play for, Real Madrid.

[ALong-foso]

Legends are always forever. Keane, Beckham, Staam, van Nilsteroy all drew the short end of the straw with Sir Alex but we remember and celebrate them all with fondness. In two years time all will be forgiven and Ronaldo will always be regarded as the best of the best.

[TheCJsamson]

He NEVER was a Man United legend for me. He’s a Real Madrid Legend, he’s a Portugal Legend but NOT a United legend
He may be the best player I’ve ever seen at United in 2008 but he only had two truly exceptional seasons for us and played the best years of his career for another club and didn’t have the same level of contribution as many that came before him and therefore will never hold the same kind of status as the likes of Scholes, Giggs, Robson and Charlton.

[Ronnny]

No hate but you are talking about the last player to win the ballondor in the premier league
And possibly the best sold player of the club at that time with a record breaking money

[raw-amg]

Messi cried when he left the club that made him. I’ve got no tears for Ronaldo

[besmarques]

The thing i've been loving the most is the narrative about how people should be talking more about the last game like it was United battering Real Madrid in barnabeu 10-0 instead of winning in the last minute vs a team that came from the championship last year. xD