August 28, 2021. The transfer window had almost reached its climax, but all eyes were on one man—Cristiano Ronaldo. Already having shocked the soccer world by breaking up a 9-year relationship with Real Madrid to sign for Juventus in 2018, the Portuguese superstar was once again eager for a new chapter—or perhaps, the reopening of an old one, as he decided to make a return to England.

Manchester United, his home, invited their iconic No. 7 back with wide arms. But amid this dream return, another intriguing possibility loomed; an opportunity to play for the blue side of Manchester instead. Might we remind you that even the rumor mill backed up this prospect? Though it was something that CR7 himself wouldn’t have chosen to do, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer thinks that could have been a much better choice.

“If Cristiano Ronaldo had joined Manchester City in 2021, he would have probably scored more goals than [Erling] Haaland,” said the Norwegian tactician to De Marke Sports. Everyone knows Ronaldo’s second spell at United just wasn’t meant to be. But imagine for a second. What if, to quote Solskjaer’s words, the Real Madrid icon would have decided to shake hands with Pep Guardiola and Co.? Perhaps in the parallel universe, it must be a terrific alliance for sure.

But then again, losing out on the opportunity to sign a player who was a crucial part of their history, especially to arch-rivals, was something the Red Devils wouldn’t have let happen. Sadly, their eagerness to bring him back saw them pay a price they never imagined they would. “That’s why we signed him, but it affected our dynamic in the dressing room. Other players started to feel less important.”

Well, it wasn’t too bad. Ronaldo did well under Solskjaer considering the time he got with the Norwegian manager, having notched 9 goals and 2 assists in 13 games. Yet, the misery fell on the ex-Molde boss, who was shown the exit door after two years of being in charge. “He did well when he came in. He was the team’s top scorer that season, but I was sacked after the 10th week,” concluded Solskjaer.

But setting a hypothetical scenario, what if Ronaldo had signed for Man City instead? In soccer, there are some things that fans never get to witness. One of them is Guardiola coaching Ronaldo. It is similar to Jose Mourinho, former master of CR7, once expressing his desire to coach Lionel Messi. However, Pep and Cristiano never suggested the same idea.

Nonetheless, this admission from Ole Gunnar isn’t about reminding United and Ronaldo fans about his poor second tenure. Rather, it’s a subtle take on Antonio Cassano, who recently and even before it has unleashed his fury on the 5x Ballon d’Or winner.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s verdict is a perfect response to Antonio Cassano’s criticism of Cristiano Ronaldo

During Cristiano Ronaldo’s turbulent second spell at Manchester United, Antonio Cassano commented a couple of years ago that the Portuguese icon should “do himself a favor and end his career.” The former Italian international was quite vindictive of the forward’s playing style, only to add, “I have a lot of respect for CR7, but I don’t like him as a player.” 

Well, it wasn’t long ago Cassano again came up with some eyebrow-raising thoughts. Reflecting on Ronaldo’s recent 900-goal milestone, the former Lazio man said, “Higuain, Lewandowski, Benzema, Aguero, Ibrahimovic, Suarez… they know how to play team football but Cristiano… what is your goal? Goal, goal, goal, goal.”

Soccer Football – Friendly – Al Nassr v Al Hilal – Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – February 8, 2024 Al Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri

Aside from highlighting the Al Nassr star’s selfish nature, Antonio, also a former Real Madrid star, added, “Ronaldo can even score 3,000 goals but doesn’t know how to play football.” While these words surely suggest that Cassano isn’t a huge fan of Cristiano, others are with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being one of them.

Even though the backing came while imagining Ronaldo with one of the arch-rivals, the former Cardiff City manager subtly made Cassano realize that CR7’s goalscoring potential was hampered because he was caught between a rock and a hard place, limited by the challenging circumstances.

Nevertheless, let us know your thoughts in the comments.