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It’s been a while since Old Trafford saw a hat-trick. Indeed, for many weeks and months, United fans have bemoaned the performance of their team, though not without cause. Beyond the dreadful displays on the field, news of in-fighting among teammates are abundant. As a result, Ronaldo, Pogba, Rashford and Sancho got the short end of the stick. Uninspiring outputs by these individuals have not helped to make a case for them neither. While some continue to blame the club for lack of sporting convictions and focusing on the financial gains, others blamed the managers. Now, the players are taking direct heat. Frankly, since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, the club has struggled at every turn. Also, the returns on the pitch remain subpar.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s domination
The reign of Ferguson at Manchester United was associated with wins and trophies. With the beginning of every campaign, fans knew what to expect. They were willing to pay for the joy of watching their team play. United hardly disappointed as they swept away opposition after opposition. It was a joy to watch the team play. They tussled and fought for every ball till they could move it upfield and into the opponent’s net. Those were glorious days for Manchester United.
Ferguson built team after team using the homegrown youth players as the foundation. Young players from the United academy got frequent chances to showcase their mettle and produce results with the first team. The famous class of ’92 are always referenced as proof of Fergie’s love for giving young players opportunities to progress their football career. Alex Ferguson’s ambitions where driven by his desire to win and fueled by his exceptional man-management skills. He was successful as a manager and brought Manchester United to the pinnacle of club footballing glory and excellence.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Sir Alex Ferguson managed several players who became global superstars in the modern game. David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo are some of them. Ronaldo was very exceptional and his hunger to win and be the best have motivated him to great heights. Check out these fun facts. He is a five-time Ballon d’or winner and currently, the highest goal scorer in men’s football (yes, dreams come true!). Ronaldo’s passion and success motivates a lot of people all around the world. As a result, his followers keep increasing on social media platforms. It was, therefore, no surprise that United fans were in absolute pandemonium when he decided to return and play for Manchester United after stints with Real Madrid and Juventus. Everyone’s expectations of Ronaldo was high upon his second-time signing.
At age 37, most strikers are winding down on their career if they are not already retired. They shy away from top high-performance teams that place enormous demands on them. But not Ronaldo! He revels in the pressure and enjoys a good challenge. And why not? There are no signs of halting for that goal machine.
Manchester United versus Tottenham Hotspur
After starting out with several goals upon his return to Old Trafford, Ronaldo experienced a long goal draught. That was until the recent game against Tottenham, Antonio Conte’s men. Doubters and haters jumped into the argument of Ronaldo not being useful. “Ronaldo is past his peek and should not be playing for Manchester United” they said. He was bundled together with underperforming players such as Rashford, whose struggle has seen Anthony Elanga rise, and Harry Maguire. Ronaldo had a point to prove.
The game was off to a good start as Manchester United looked to open up the opposition defense. With constant center-left-right passing, nothing seemed to be going as United players kept probing. However, out of a seemingly unthreatening attack, Ronaldo managed to create a goal from shooting straight into the top corner of Hugo Lloris’ goal after a deft flick-pass from Fred. Following that, the opponents raised the pressure. At a point, United’s Dalot was forced to clear a headed ball from a corner kick on the goal line. That was very close but United dealt with it comfortably. Few minutes past the half-hour mark, Harry Kane equalized from the penalty spot after a handball offense by Telles.
Two-two plus one
Two minutes after the penalty equalizer, Sancho received a long pass from Nemanja Matić, beat the Tottenham offside trap and fed Ronaldo the ball. Ronaldo, who was waiting, tapped the ball in for a second goal. The first half ended with Manchester United an extra goal up. Ronaldo ran off into the tunnels. He returned to the field 15 minutes later with the rest of the team for the second half.
In the 72 minute, Tottenham managed to force an own goal from Maguire who has been under enormous pressure for poor displays. I don’t imagine this own goal will bode well for his defense among United fans. Regardless, in the 81′ minute, Ronaldo headed the ball into Lloris’ net after a good cross from Telles. That fantastic classic Ronaldo header put United ahead for the third time. Applause and shouts from the stands just showed a lot of appreciation for Ronaldo’s skill. He showed why he’s the best goal-scorer of all time!
With Ronaldo’s hat-trick, United beat Tottenham and moved back into fourth place. However, with Arsenal having a strong advantage for the last Champion’s league spot, the jury is still out on whether United have lived up to expectations this season. That notwithstanding, the team could be pardoned if United make significant progress in the Champion’s league. I am sure United fans are hoping Ronaldo, the beast, shows up again for the tie against Atletico Madrid in the Champion’s league on Tuesday (March 15, 2022).