Cristiano has to play the Champions, by Javier Alfaro

The fact that Cristiano Ronaldo has declared himself in absentia is not really a surprise. At 37 years old, the twilight of the Portuguese’s career is getting closer and the fact that the Manchester United failure to qualify for the 2022/23 Champions League foreshadowed that Cristiano was not going to stay in Old Trafford despite having a signed contract. At least, that she was going to do everything on his part to get out.

Football is like that. Sometimes the saying that ‘second parts were never good’ is more than fulfilled. The love story between Manchester United y Cristiano Ronaldo is a great example of it. During his first stage as ‘red devil’ he was a hero. So much so that between little and nothing it mattered to the Mancunian fans that in his day he went to the Real Madrid to live in white and not in red the best years of his career. As soon as there was a chance for him to return, she welcomed him with open arms. But the thing has gone between badly and completely badly. And barely a year later she smells like a nasty divorce.

Cristiano Ronaldoambitious as anyone else, thought that in the Manchester United could be reunited with glory after a fateful passage through the Juventus. But it has not been that way. In fact, she has fared even worse than expected.

On the other hand, it is hard to imagine the Champions League being played without Cristiano with the Portuguese still active. ‘Mr. Champions ‘has to play the competition that earned him that nickname and he will do everything he can to achieve it. Although the shapes leave much to be desired.