Factos? Cristiano Ronaldo tipped for shock Real Madrid return next season

Real Madrid on Saturday secured their 35th La Liga title but Los Blancos could soon have even more reasons to celebrate, with their all-time top scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, tipped for a return to the Santiago Bernabeu next season.

The 37-year-old is currently with Manchester United but his ambitions to be part of a team that routinely challenges for silverware in top flight football have been left in tatters after a dismal season that could get worse in the weeks to come.

While Ronaldo’s United teammates have put in abysmal performances throughout the season despite changes to management, the Portuguese forward, in characteristic style, has shone brightly, netting 23 goals for his club, 17 of which have come in the Premier League.

Yet, Ronaldo’s consistent contributions at United have not helped the club in its chase for top-flight European football, and the Red Devils are facing the very real prospect of playing in the Europa League at best or missing out on European football altogether at worst.

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However, not all news is bad for United: with interim manager Ralf Rangnick struggling, United have roped in Ajax manager Erik ten Hag, who is set to take charge of the Manchester club at the end of the current season.

While ten Hag’s appointment is indeed a ray of hope for United fans hoping for a revival of the club’s impeccable standards, the Dutchman’s appointment may not be good news for the talismanic Ronaldo.

Known for his fast-paced, high-energy attacking football, ten Hag is likely to bring in young players and revitalise United’s academy as he looks to build a future-proof team. Given ten Hag’s proclivities, Ronaldo may not be guaranteed a spot on the team, at least not in the frequency with which he has been selected under Ralf Rangnick, and earlier, under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Not one to be on the sidelines, the potential lack of game time under ten Hag is likely to upset United’s star striker, with the Mirror reporting that Ronaldo could well be on his way out in summer.

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The question then is, why a return to Real Madrid? The simple answer is that the reasons are manifold, and finances could play a decisive part.

Madrid have long been in the race to sign Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain but Los Blancos’ efforts to get the 23-year-old’s signature have thus far ended in frustration, with PSG turning down a £172 million bid. Reports further suggest that PSG are in the process of offering Mbappe a whopping sign-on bonus of £150 million to renew his contract, a figure that Madrid may have to match or improve upon to lure the French striker to Spain.

A deal for Ronaldo, on the other hand, is not expected to cost more than £10 million, a paltry sum for Madrid, who have hundreds of millions in their coffers.

Further, a move for Mbappe, which will undoubtedly be prohibitively expensive, is likely to be closely scrutinized by fans, with the young Frenchman yet to prove himself in La Liga. Ronaldo, on the other hand, already has 450 goals for Real Madrid, is a fan favourite, and a return could easily see him take his goal tally to 500.

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With Karim Benzema ageing like fine wine, a Ronaldo return to Madrid could see the 37-year-old team up with his former strike partner in what promises to be an explosive combination at negligible cost.

Hence, given these financial considerations and the potential risks of signing Mbappe, Madrid may stick with experience and open the door for Ronaldo’s return in summer.

With three games left in the Premier League and ten Hag’s arrival imminent, Ronaldo may be looking for assurances of game time from the Dutchman ahead of making a decision about his future.

While a return to Madrid cannot be said to be a certainty at this stage, what is certain is that Ronaldo has considerable thinking to do before he commits his future to United.