Manchester United: Why Cristiano Ronaldo is a bigger problem than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer right now

Cristiano Ronaldo
(Image credit: Getty)

By the time Manchester United's £25m or so was in Juventus's account, there wasn't really much time left to find a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo. But perhaps if there had have been though, the Old Lady still wouldn't have bothered.

After all, Real Madrid didn't. Florentino Perez - a man who covets superstars like a millionaire in a Porsche showroom - received a world-record fee for an over-30 and didn't bother reinvesting it. Even when Ronaldo broke the transfer record in 2009, Sir Alex Ferguson's reaction was to bring in Antonio Valencia and Michael Owen, almost choosing to ignore the Ronaldo-shaped hole on the lefthand flank. 

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Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.