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Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players who has ever played the beautiful game. The Portuguese maestro has conquered Portugal, England, Spain and Italy with his football teams, and he also conquered Europe in 2016 with his national team. It seems like he has nothing to prove anymore. However, as everyone is aware, Ronaldo plays with immense intensity even now, and he recently decided to exchange sunny Italy for a return to his second home: Manchester. In this post, we're going to make some Cristiano Ronaldo predictions.
Here are some bold predictions to look out for when Ronaldo wears the famous United 7 again in the English Premier League.
Cristiano Ronaldo predictions
1. Ronaldo will not win the English Premier League in his first season back at the Old Trafford
Cristiano Ronaldo, however amazing he is, is not what the Red Devils really needed when it comes to their squad. While he will be a great addition to the attacking line that is stacked already, the real problems lie in the midfield and defense of the United roster. Their attack is already elite, with established players such as Anthony Martial and Edinson Cavani, plus youngsters Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood. But their midfield, specifically the holding midfielder role, is not up to the standard of the rest of EPL contenders.
Fred and his lack of real quality have been mentioned after, more or less, every poor result the Devils had in the last year, and his immediate substitute is the aging Nemanja Matic, who still seems like the better option out of the two. Also, while Harry Maguire has shown immense improvement and has grown to be a great leader, there will be difficulty to find him a consistent partner. Raphael Varane has been a stalwart for Real Madrid for 10 years, but if close attention was paid, it was Sergio Ramos holding the line, while Varane has been prone to make mistakes that cost the Spanish team some important games in the past.
Other than Varane, there are also other options Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can pursue, like Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof or Phil Jones, but they do seem like poor options for a squad looking to challenge for the title with the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool breathing down their necks. Unfortunately for the Red Devils, Ronaldo will not be able to solve these issues.
2. Ronaldo will be top scorer of the EPL
One thing remains true about Cristiano Ronaldo, even at his age of 36: he is a proven scorer and one of the greatest of all time in that statistic. The former Real Madrid and Juventus man has scored 647 goals in his club career and still has elite numbers, scoring 29 goals in 33 games last year for the Old Lady. Of course, his best goalscoring years were in Madrid, scoring 40-plus goals in a season on three separate occasions, but he can still put the ball in the back of the net with almost incredibly efficiency.
In the last three Serie A campaigns, Ronaldo scored 21, 31 and 29 goals, respectively. If that is compared to top scorers in the English Premier League for the last three years, he would win in the last two, and he would be a goal behind in the other, where three players shared the honor with 22 goals. Ronaldo simply has a nose for the goal which is uncanny and hard to explain, and it is especially impressive when it is considered that he started as a winger for Sporting and Manchester United.
Of course, the difference in competition has to be taken into consideration, but Ronaldo has proven time and time again that he can adjust to any situation whatsoever. Also, Ronaldo has always been incredibly competitive, so there is no doubt that he will be gunning to win the Golden Boot in the EPL for the second time, after the 2007-08 season.
3. Ronaldo will win best player of the EPL
As mentioned above multiple times, Cristiano Ronaldo is someone who does not take competition lightly. He is constantly reminding the world why he should be considered as the best footballer ever, and another Player of the Season award would definitely help his case. The English Premier League is considered a bigger challenge than both La Liga or Serie A, due to the overall strength of the teams, but also due to the fact that the two Champions League finalists from last year play in England.
The competition will be strong, of course, but it does seem like it is Ronaldo's to lose. Both Chelsea and Manchester City, teams widely considered to be the biggest favorites for the EPL title this season, have balanced squads with a lot of world-class players and where it is hard to stand out. Obviously, candidates will come from these and other teams, with names like Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne coming to mind. However, Ronaldo might have an impact on United that these players do not generally have on their teams, due to his stature as one of the best ever.
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The draw of Cristiano Ronaldo is truly incredible, and his second debut for the historic Manchester United club will definitely be one of the most followed events in the world. However, the focus has mostly been on what he can achieve and in which ways can he improve his resume while returning to the Old Trafford. While it is understandable that certain parts of the fan base in Manchester are expecting a serious challenge on at least two fronts, it is very difficult to expect Ronaldo to solve issues that the team has in other areas.
While it is difficult to expect that, it can be argued that the personal resume of Ronaldo can be improved by the two awards mentioned above. A Golden Boot and a Player of the Season might further cement the argument Ronaldo is making for himself to be the best player who ever stepped on a soccer pitch, along with an array of goalscoring records he has set in the last couple of years. While Manchester fans are expecting wonders, all the neutrals are simply excited to see what Ronaldo can do in the famous No. 7 shirt again.
