"Sign for Bournemouth and you'll play every week" - When pundit claimed Cristiano Ronaldo was only good enough to play for Championship club
Football pundit Richard Keys once criticized Cristiano Ronaldo, telling the Portugal ace to join then-Championship outfit Bournemouth to play every week. This occurred during Ronaldo's 2021-22 season at Manchester United under Ralf Rangnick's tutelage.
Many fans tipped Cristiano Ronaldo to guide Manchester United back to Premier League glory after he rejoined the club in the summer of 2021 from Juventus. The 39-year-old had established himself as a superstar at Old Trafford during his first stint there between 2003 and 2009.
Ronaldo had a decent start under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer but struggled to impress under Rangnick after the former was dismissed amid the Red Devils' struggles. He failed to score a goal in six appearances across all competitions - his longest goal drought at the time since 2010.
The Portugal ace was also criticized for storming down the tunnel following Manchester United's 1-1 draw against Burnley after coming on in the second half as a substitute.
Richards Keys launched a scathing attack on Cristiano Ronaldo, urging him to drop down to the Championship, telling beIN Sports in February 2022 (via TEAMtalk):
“Jorge Mendes was talking to senior Manchester United executives about leaving at the end of the season. My own view of that is that he should he leave now. I’ve been of the opinion all season long that he’s as much a part of the problem – not the whole problem – as anything and anybody else."
“The other night, he went running down the tunnel at Turf Moor. Having recently lectured everyone about being the leader he believes himself to be and that youngsters don’t do the sorts of things he does… how does that encourage team spirit in the dressing room?"
His fellow pundit Andy Gray added:
“That was not good to see. Totally wrong for him to do that. He’s obviously disappointed at not playing. He’s playing against Burnley, bottom of the league, he’s thinking ‘there’s a few goals in this for me’. He is 37 years of age and knows he’s running out of time to play top football. You want to try and play as many games as you can.”
To which Keys replied:
“That’s fine then, go and sign for Bournemouth and you’ll play every week."
To his credit, Cristiano Ronaldo finished the season strong, finishing as United's top goalscorer with 24 goals and three assists in 38 appearances across all competitions.
How did Cristiano Ronaldo fare at Manchester United during the 2022-23 following Richard Keys' criticism?
Football pundit Richard Keys labeled Cristiano Ronaldo as part of Manchester United's problem midway through the 2021-22 season due to his on-field theatrics and lapse in form. Let's take a quick look at how Ronaldo fared the following season, despite ending the 2021-22 campaign on a high note.
Unfortunately, Cristiano Ronaldo failed to get along with new manager Erik ten Hag, with the latter dropping the 39-year-old for seven games. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored just three goals and provided two assists in 16 appearances across all competitions before his contract was terminated on November 22, 2022. This was done after Ronaldo publicly lashed out against Ten Hag and the Manchester United hierarchy.
Cristiano Ronaldo then joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr on a two-and-a-half-year deal on December 30, 2022. He has individually flourished there since then, garnering 61 goals and 16 assists in 67 appearances across competitions.