After four weeks during which his demand to leave caused countless speculations and intrigues, Cristiano Ronaldo made his first pre-season appearance today (Sunday) Manchester United when he started in the lineup in the preparatory match against Rayo Vaikano. And although he couldn’t do anything about it, the Portuguese didn’t really come out of the match well, as his substitute Amad Diallo scored less than three minutes after Erik ten Haah brought Ronaldo to the bench.
CR7 was the only one among those included in the 11 who vacated his place at the break, in light of the fact that he is still rusty as Tan Haah made clear even before the game. Diallo, who came on in his place, found the net in the 48th minute and gave the Red Devils a lead that didn’t last. Albero Garcia equalized 1:1 for Rayo Waicano – and that was the final result.
Beyond the developments that to some extent created the feeling that United managed better without him, Ronaldo was also caught on camera in a somewhat mysterious moment. During the drinking break, the striker exchanged a few words with Tan Haah near the bench, and judging by the pictures – he was not happy with what he heard.
Ronaldo was offered by his agent to a number of top teams in Europe, including Chelsea, Atlético Madrid, Napoli, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, following his desire to play for a club that participates in the Champions League and can compete for titles in the coming season – something that, in the eyes of the Portuguese, Manchester United is not capable of to do.