In August 2003, Manchester United faced Sporting Lisbon in a friendly match. The game was held to mark the opening of the Estádio José Alvalade, and it was there that United’s legendary coach, Sir Alex Ferguson, became mesmerized by the performance of a young player named Cristiano Ronaldo.
It was Ronaldo’s dazzling skills that convinced Ferguson to sign him. After the match, Ferguson described him as one of the best young players he had ever seen.
Within a week, United secured Ronaldo’s signature. It’s safe to say that Ronaldo became one of the best discoveries for the club in this century, bringing tremendous success to United before moving to Real Madrid, where he reached even greater heights.
However, the void left by Ronaldo at United has never been filled. Despite the arrival of many promising talents, none have come close to matching the level of Ronaldo. Even after his return to United in his second stint, Ronaldo was largely a shadow of his former self within the team.
Now, United’s new coach, Ruben Amorim, is determined to fill that void. Like Ronaldo, Amorim is from Portugal, and they were once teammates in the national team.
Amorim’s close experience with Ronaldo gives him valuable insight into what it takes to nurture a superstar. His goal is to find another player like Ronaldo for United, and he’s looking to his homeland, Portugal, to find this new talent.
This ambition has been shared by British media outlet The Mirror. The new United boss believes that after Ronaldo, the club has failed to find another Portuguese superstar, and he is advocating for a revamp of the club’s scouting methods and structure.
Amorim believes United has missed out on several talented players they could have signed. He’s eager to correct this mistake and is keen to bring in promising new talents, including Swedish forward Viktor Gyökeres and Portugal’s João Vieira, as part of his plan.
Although United hasn’t found someone as extraordinary as Ronaldo, they have recently acquired excellent Portuguese players like Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot. Still, Amorim may be looking for someone who can change the course of a game single-handedly in any situation.
