If You Think Cristiano Ronaldo is Finished, Think Again

In the beginning of the 2021-22 season, the world was shocked when Cristiano Ronaldo signed with his former club, Manchester United. But there were very mixed opinions about it. Many people, including myself, were hyped and excited to see him play once more in the world's most fast-paced and competitive football league. A challenge not many players will want to take on, especially at his age. On the other hand, many others were hating as usual, saying he ruined Juventus and didn't do anything quote-unquote significant. And of course, those people said the same thing would happen when he came back to Old Trafford. However, in the beginning of the season, what did the man do? Now, since the beginning of 2022, it's been 6 matches since Cristiano Ronaldo has not scored a goal. His longest drought since 2009. And what do all the pundits and haters say now? Funny how quickly the narrative changes, right? Now everyone thinks the man is finished and is on his way down as a footballer, never to achieve anything more before he retires. And now, with Manchester United looking quite mediocre I'll have to admit, everyone is placing the blame on him once again. But is it really his fault? Is all the criticism for a mere 6-game goal-scoring drought justified? Maybe it's just because the standards have always been way too high for the man. But before all the Penaldo, Penalty Merchant, Finished and Old Man comments come in, you shouldn't count him out just yet. With the Champions League season finally coming back and the knockout stages just around the corner, let's look at why, even at 37 years old, the most clutch player in history and Mr. Champions League himself, Cristiano Ronaldo, is not finished just yet. But before we continue, if you want to make sure your dreams, goals or ideas never get washed up and finished, then today's sponsor, Squarespace can help you get started on turning them into reality by building your very own website, business or online presence. Now I'm sure many of you are already familiar with Squarespace. After all, it's the most popular website and domain building platform out there. And it's for a good reason. If you've always wanted to make a website without knowing how to code or maybe just not knowing where to get started, then Squarespace is perfect for you. Whether it be a business, a store or a blog, Squarespace has everything you need to be successful in an all-in-one platform to help you grow and reach your very own audience. All with full analytics, marketing and design tools that are user-friendly and guaranteed to help you succeed. So if you want to make a name for yourself with your own online business or website, check out the link in the description or go to squarespace.com slash raymar to get a 10% discount on your first website or domain. Thanks again to Cristiano Ronaldo is probably football's most hated yet equally loved player. And with that hate comes a lot of doubt and disbelief. However, this video isn't going to be about how good he is or how amazing he's been. No, we'll save that for when the day finally comes and he hangs his boots. Instead, we'll look at the times where CR7 has been doubted the most, even by some of his own fans, including at times, even myself, to be honest, and the times where he silenced all the noise and proved all the doubters wrong. From pundits to news outlets and even other coaches and players to look at why we shouldn't count him out just yet. When he first joined Manchester United from sporting, he had doubters for sure. Many of the Manchester United faithful thought he was good and athletic, but maybe not the type of player the club needed. Heck, even some of his own teammates were haters and doubters, saying he was mostly flash and no skill. Look at guys like Vinistel Roy saying his playstyle belonged in a circus and Sylvester saying his game and dribbling wouldn't work in the Premier League. But he would go on to prove to everyone that he believed in himself and never changed his playstyle or once lost confidence in who he was as a player. And we all know how the skinny Portuguese kid became the greatest player from that entire roster. In the 2008-2009 season, when Ronaldo had signed for Real Madrid, there were many, many mixed opinions on it. Coming off a Ballon d'Or winning year just a season before he left, many thought his 26 goals and 53 appearances was lackluster. And he even lost to Lionel Messi in the Champions League final. With Madrid paying a then-record transfer fee for CR7, many thought it was a crazy idea. The man had just suffered a crushing defeat, had a major dip in performance, and was even in a goal-scoring drought on the last few matches for Man United. It wouldn't help when he would struggle a bit with injury during the first few months at Real The haters were having a field day, saying they were right and Cristiano Ronaldo was a fraud and that Real Madrid just got scammed by Manchester United with that huge price tag. But what did he do in his first year? That's right, prove he was worth every single euro and went off to finish the season with 33 goals and provide 11 assists in 35 matches. And when we saw Ronaldo leave Juventus for Man United, the haters were coming out once again. Many said that CR7 ruined Juventus after failing to deliver, even though he scored 101 goals in 134 appearances and won the Coppa Italia, 2 Italian Super Cups, and 2 Serie A titles. I mean, just look at what happened to them when he left. Right now, they're 4th in these Serie A standings and are just 2 points away from being out of the Champions League running next season. The same thing happened to Real Madrid. When CR7 left, they went from winning 3 Champions League titles in a row to being 3rd in La Liga and would take years to recover and finally be back in decent form. So I don't understand the logic behind CR7 ruining Juventus, when they were much better with him on the club. There were also many people saying that Man United didn't need a 37-year-old man on their team and that he couldn't keep up with the Premier League's pace. But then again, what happened? Breaking records, scoring last-minute goals, and having multiple game being the club's top goal scorer. Do you really think that without Cristiano Ronaldo in their current form with their current roster, that they would be doing better without him right now? And the funniest thing to me is that pundits have the nerve to blame him for Portugal not immediately qualifying for the World Cup, even though he scored a goal that would have secured their spot against Serbia but was wrongfully overturned. I mean, I don't know how people can come on TV and blame him after seeing what should have been a game-winning and World Cup qualifier-clenching goal. Now, the narrative for the past few weeks has been Ronaldo is finished. Ronaldo is too old to do this and Ronaldo is too inefficient to do that. I'm sure you've heard it all. Only after a mere six-game drought. Like they've disregarded all his amazing moments already this season. Like all the late game winners and the great stats that any other Premier League striker would be called amazing just for having. And I'm not trying to throw shade at Lionel Messi, but during his drought when he first played for PSG, there wasn't nearly enough slander from the media and pundits as there was for Ronaldo. After all, Messi is the more beloved player between the two. It just really irritates me when big news outlets try to consistently create a narrative. Especially from ESPN, BR Football, and some YouTubers to name a few. And yes, I know it gets clicks and a lot of people talking. But it's also why football has probably one of the most toxic communities in sports. Football is also the sport with the most recency bias in the world, I swear. But hilariously enough, just a few days after all the slander, disrespect, and hate, and just a few hours after I started working on this script, Ronaldo has scored his first goal of 2022 and ended his drought with an amazing performance against Brighton that really could have been two goals and one assist. Which has everyone now saying that this could be the moment Ronaldo gets back into form. Funny how quickly the narrative changes yet again. So I'm gonna go ahead and say that Cristiano Ronaldo will continue to perform this season and history will again repeat itself. And hey, if I'm wrong, you guys can unsub, dislike the video, and even ridicule me in the comments. But if you ask me, I'm betting on the man who made a career out of proving the haters and doubters wrong. Part 2, never celebrate too soon. So we've looked at how time and time again, Cristiano Ronaldo has proven the doubters wrong. I honestly believe that Cristiano Ronaldo is the most clutch player ever. I mean, who else has scored so many hat-tricks and last-minute goals so many times when their team is down to come back and save them both internationally and at the club level. Especially when the stakes are the highest and the lights shine the brightest. Like in 2016 when Real Madrid fell 2-0 to Wolfsburg in the Champions League quarterfinal. The media was having a field day. The mighty Real Madrid losing to a team that stood at 8th place in the Bundesliga standings. How embarrassing, right? Then all of a sudden, CR7 makes a one-man comeback and scores a hat-trick to secure the win at home. I remember watching this when we were down and to be honest, even I doubted the man a little. But he delivered. My first time watching one of his signature comebacks live and it completely blew my mind. And now since Portugal has not yet qualified for the 2022 World Cup, pundits again are saying it's his fault and that he can't carry his team. Even though his goal should have been counted against Serbia and sent them on their way. Hell, even the referee apologized for his mistake. I don't know why they still have to qualify. How many times have we seen Ronaldo save Portugal as well? Then again, for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in a do-or-die match against Sweden and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Only one of the countries could have advanced to the World Cup. And knowing Ibra, there was no way he wanted to lose. Much less lose to Cristiano Ronaldo of all people. After scoring two early goals against Portugal, Ibrahimovic looked like he had put them away for good. Until Ronaldo decided to go god mode and score a hat-trick to send them to the World Cup yet again. Also in the 2018 World Cup itself, when he became the oldest player to ever score a hat-trick in the tournament when he did it against Spain to bring the match to a 3-3 tie after being down. One of the greatest World Cup performances I have ever seen. Even in 2019 with Juventus, after falling to Atletico Madrid 2-0 in the first leg, the haters were once again coming out to the streets and partying. Literally. However, this time, I knew better than to doubt the man. I've seen way too many one-man comebacks and last-minute game winners to lose faith. And so did his longtime friend and former teammate, Patrice Evra. Just five days before the second leg, Ronaldo texted him saying he was going to smash Atletico. And smash them he did. Scoring yet another one-man hat-trick to put them away. I mean, was it really any surprise? I'm sorry Atletico fans, but the man has been owning the club since his days in Real Madrid. I'm just kidding guys, please don't dislike this video. But in all seriousness, he's done many similar things that would make this video way too long to talk about. Just look at all the comp violations on YouTube if you want to watch more. I believe CR7 will do it all again this Champions League knockout stage with Manchester United. Giving his all and bringing amazing performances that will shock fans and haters alike. So remember, anytime that Man Utd is down, just know, as long as Cristiano Ronaldo is on the pitch, never celebrate too soon. Look, I understand Ronaldo is getting older and is reaching the twilight of his career. So I shouldn't be expecting all the insanely crazy things he's done before for the entirety of his career. But if you look at the way the man takes care of himself, he has a few more productive years left in him. So as long as he stays healthy and is on the pitch, anything is possible. I mean, who else in history can score in so many diverse ways as Ronaldo? Honestly, he can serve it to you any way you like. Still the most dominant aerial player in history, even at his age. Every corner he's involved in is an instant threat. He can use both feet, finish outside the box, or even score with his back turned against the goal. I'm just going to keep betting on the man's success in Manchester United and for Portugal to see him in one last World Cup. I know it's no secret that CR7 is my favorite player ever and my personal greatest of all time. Just how many times he surprised me and even proven me wrong is incredible. There's just something about comebacks and last minute goals that really bring greatness to me. Sure, there are other all-time greats with better passing, playmaking, dribbling, or even more efficient goal scoring. But for me, the one thing that sets Ronaldo apart from any other footballer in history is that you can never count him out. So hey, I might be wrong. You guys can come back and clown me in the comments, or I might be right. Then in that case, remember this video and come back to leave a like. But I'm going to choose to keep believing in him and I think you should too. But that's it for me today guys. If you enjoyed, all I ask is for you to leave a like and subscribe if you want more videos like this. It really helps my channel and I appreciate each and every single one of you that stay all the way till the end. Thank you guys for the continued support, especially to my long-term subscribers, and I'll see you in the next one.