Seriously, goodbyes should be goodbyes!
I've never been the one for triumphant homecomings or romantic returns! Once you've said good night at a particular place, you're courting trouble if you go back to say good evening. A sportsman who's had a wonderful time at the top, retired, only to come out of retirement; a footballer who made his name at a particular club, moved on to greater heights then return to where he once left so as to complete an incredible story. One who was cut loose because he was deemed not ready, moved to another place, developed to world class status, only to go back to where he was once deemed surplus to requirements so as to fulfill his dreams of thriving for the club.
All these circumstances are wonderful in movies and bedtime stories. In real life scenarios, they rarely go to plan. Say, for example, Tom Brady is the undoubted GOAT of the NFL. The dude is peerless and well respected. When he announced he was retiring, time stood still for him. He didn't win another title but he didn't do his legacy no harm. Only God knows who or what convinced him to come out of retirement. Right now he's nothing but a butt of jokes with his on-field displays and off-field issues with Giselle Bündchen. I'm pretty sure if he could rewind the clock, he will stay retired.
Or, what do we say about Zidane coming out of retirement for the 2006 World Cup only to lose his cool and get sent off with minutes to penalties while his team was clearly dominant? For some football lovers of this generation, they only remembered the Zidane who headbutted Materazzi, not the one one who wowed football lovers with incredible skills. A glorious career ended with an indelible stain.
Sports is littered with incredible stories of people who returned to a place where they were once revered only to have their reputations seriously harmed. Wenger tempted Jens Lehmann back to Arsenal when he was having a goalkeeper crisis in 2011. Mad Jens came in, raised hell, sat on the bench a couple times and rode into the sunset. As crazy as the German was, he was crazily loved by the Gunners faithful. His return was ill-timed and fruitless.
Or, we can talk about the generational talent Paul Scholes who came out of retirement to help Ferguson. His return didn't do his reputation any harm, but it was glaring that the Ginger Prince was well past it. I'm pretty sure he regretted playing that season. We can as well discuss Lukaku and Pogba, two friends who went back to where they were initially deemed surplus to requirements as young players. They wanted to complete a wonderful story. However, they only damaged their careers. Pogba is recovering in Juventus with the possibility of playing for his beloved Real Madrid all but ended. He probably regrets the day he re-signed for Man United. Lukaku ditched Inter for Chelsea. He wanted to banish the memories of that penalty he missed as an 18 year old boy. He's now back at Inter as a traitor, his second coming at Chelsea the most underwhelming episode of his career so far.
When Ronaldo's return to Manchester United was announced, I was livid with anger. Though an assured performer, I believed United have had its fill of ageing, experienced footballers who only come in, make some serious money, and leave the team in a worse condition than they met it. Zlatan, Schweinsteiger and Cavani are football icons. They couldn't help United. It's foolish of anyone to think Ronaldo will do it considering he failed woefully in his last task of helping Juventus win the Champions League.
I was roundly criticized for raising this issue back then, but time always reveals all hidden truths. Whatever has happened with Ronaldo does not please me, I don't wish to see him embarrassed. I pray this issue gets resolved and the man is allowed to leave in January. The situation is no longer salvageable, keeping him around will only worsen the case. However, in line with what I do strongly believe, goodbyes really should be goodbyes. Most triumphant returns do end in disgrace. Ronaldo's return is already conforming to that pattern! I hope others learn from this.
Image Source 1: https://images.app.goo.gl/kgSzECfHK8TFSff16
Image Source 2: https://images.app.goo.gl/2vVNaZ659fcvSecb7
Retiring whilst you are at the top is the mark of a top sportsmen and very few are capable of doing this. Many hang around way too long tarnishing their reputation in the process.
A lot of them wants to eat their cakes and have it back thereby riding their once wonderful careers into doom. I just hope Messi resists whatever temptation Barca throws his way and stay at PSG. Else, he may end up just like Ronaldo.
Leaving while the ovation is loudest is the best thing to do, and most times the hardest thing to do. Some players let their love for the game becloud their logical sense.
Ronaldo's is even worse cos its his overblown ego and selfishness that's tarnishing his reputation
The sad thing about Ronaldo is that the petulant attitude he's showing now has always been in him, it's been subdued because he was away from the grasp of the British media. He exposed himself to criticism, he will get a heavy dose of it.
I believe it's not just him being away from the British media. I believe his unbelievable numbers on the pitch always papered over his petulant attitude. People usually looked beyond it cos he was delivering the goods.
Now that his powers are subdued, there's nothing else to look to, and it's exposing him
I agree with you on these instances. Goodbye should be goodbye... Ronaldo shouldn't have come back and United shouldn't have approached him. United were desperate and now they are crying foul. Some things are better left the way they were.
The only recurring theme for United in the last 10 years has been that of desperation. When Allegri told Ronaldo he's not a guaranteed starter in his team the dude wanted a move. Madrid was linked but weren't interested, they have Benzema. Jorge Mendes sensed Man U's desperation and leaked to the press that City wanted to buy Ronaldo. Seriously, only an average football enthusiast will believe Guardiola wanted Ronaldo because he never did. They only used City to bait Man U to sign a fading Ronaldo, just as Ramos tricked a desperate Man U that he wanted to join only to sign a lucrative contract with Madrid a week after.
Since he joined he's had problems with three managers in just a year. That dude gets paid £510,000 to cause problems for the team. Those who started following football after 2009 will only know Ronaldo of Real Madrid and the troublesome one at Man U right now, they will never experience the electrifying chap who lit up Old Trafford in the mid to late 2000s. He stained his legacy already. United should've learnt from the Pogba experience never to sign a high profile ex-player.
United hardly learn and that's the annoying part. They get fooled so easily. Desperate club that is scared of going through a proper transition.
Congratulations @mckane! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s):
Your next target is to reach 600 upvotes.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPCheck out the last post from @hivebuzz:
Support the HiveBuzz project. Vote for our proposal!