After scoring the game-winning goal in stoppage time for Manchester United on Sunday during their 2-1 victory over Fulham, we should be talking about the emergence of a new star in Alejandro Garnacho.
The youngster seems to represent the future, in contrast to his idol, who is mired in the past. The way Cristiano Ronaldo behaved on Sunday demonstrates how badly he misread the atmosphere of the room. When he was at the height of his power, he was able to parade his celebrity status and successfully manipulate the narrative to serve his purposes. On the other hand, the 37-year-old player, who is expected to lead Portugal at the World Cup, has recently discovered that this strategy is no longer effective if you do not perform to a high standard both on and off the field. Only three of the attacker's 701 career goals have come so far this season, despite his illustrious career total of 701 goals scored. Garnacho ought to keep his eyes up and pay attention while Ronaldo continues to sit atop his shattered and rapidly deteriorating public pedestal.
Even though he only made his full debut a month ago, the 18-year-old is currently only one goal behind Ronaldo in the scoring chart for this season. There is no question that he would have wished to have enjoyed a week of praise, but now that hope has been dampened and overshadowed by Ronaldo, who has unequivocally taken his place in the spotlight.
This indicates that Ronaldo has also broken a promise that he made to Garnacho and the other rising stars who work alongside him. In January, the seasoned player made a commitment to assisting and mentoring younger players on the side.
"The more experienced players, also known as the older players, are always able to lend a hand to the younger players. We are here to lend a helping hand, and if the other party requires my assistance as well as my backing and my guidance, I will be the first person to step in. But if you don't want my assistance, then you should get your work done, find yourself, and try your hardest to contribute to the success of the team. However, as a result of his comments regarding Erik ten Hag, he will no longer be able to keep that promise because, quite frankly, there is no way for him to return to his previous position at United. Ronaldo responded, "Yes," when he was asked whether he felt like he was being pushed out of United. Not just the team's coach, but also the other one, two, or three guys who hang around the club. I felt betrayed."
He continued, "Because he doesn't show respect for me, I don't have any respect for him [Ten Hag]." If you do not respect me, I will never respect you. If you do not respect me, I will never respect you.
Because of this, he violated the golden rule that he defended in the interview that took place in January. When he made the statement, "We need to have the right mentality," we listened. When I look in the mirror, I ask myself, "Cristiano, how can you improve your level so that you can better contribute to the team?" Yes, I am capable of making improvements in other areas. "In my opinion, this is the reason that they call this team Manchester "United." Therefore, we must maintain our unity even during the challenging times." All of this makes Ronaldo appear, to say the least, less sincere than he actually is.
Garnacho is now at an age where he will look up to his idol as a significant source of inspiration for his own professional endeavors. He has expressed his admiration for Ronaldo on multiple occasions, and just like Ronaldo, he had attitude problems during the pre-season.
Since then, he has abandoned his previous beliefs and is playing the best football of his life up to this point. United must make sure that he is surrounded by the appropriate people in the midst of the chaos that surrounds his hero and role model.
In light of everything that has happened, Ronaldo's ego appears to be extremely fragile, and his provocative remarks have the potential to spark a fire that, in the long run, could end up hurting younger players who look up to him. Garnacho should, rather than finding inspiration, feel hurt and "betrayed" by himself in this situation.
