Why Atlético is considered the main contender for Ronaldo
The possible departure of the Portuguese striker from Manchester United has been one of the hottest topics in European football in recent weeks.
Cristiano Ronaldo has not yet appeared at the location of the English team and not only missed part of the pre-season training, but also did not go on a tour of Thailand and Australia with her.
And although the head coach of the Red Devils, Eric ten Hag, hopes to cooperate with the Portuguese and assures that he is not for sale, his departure from Foggy Albion seems more and more likely.
The only problem is the lack of interest in the 37-year-old highly paid striker.
Recently, the player's agent, Jorge Mendes, managed to offer his services to the lion's share of the top clubs in the Old World, including Chelsea, Bayern, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, but none of them expressed interest in the invitation. Ronaldo.
According to the media, in the case of the Londoners, head coach Thomas Tuchel himself spoke out against the deal, fearing to repeat the fate of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Last season, the Norwegian was forced to urgently integrate Cristiano into the system, but did not succeed, and was fired in the fall.
In the Munich camp, they openly stated that the acquisition of the Portuguese does not correspond to the philosophy of the club, the Catalans and Parisians passed by.
As a result, the former took Robert Lewandowski, while the latter remained with the star trio in the person of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Some proposals were rejected by Ronaldo himself.
So, he put an end to the return to Sporting, and also refused a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia.
According to ESPN, there he could earn €275 million in two years.
As a result, the only possible place to continue Ronaldo's career was Atlético, which has been suffering for the past few years due to the lack of a striker.
So, over the past five seasons, only one footballer from Madrid has surpassed the bar of 25 goals in all tournaments - on the eve of the World Cup in Russia, Antoine Griezmann broke out with 29 balls.
But then the effectiveness of the Frenchman declined, and after his transfer to Barcelona, it was not possible to find a worthy replacement.
Alvaro Morata was never able to solve the problem with the implementation, and Luis Suarez was only enough for one year.
Why a transfer to Atlético is interesting to Ronaldo himself
As for the striker himself, his motivation is very clear.
Unlike Manchester United, Atlético is an already established and built team, and even has the opportunity to play in the Champions League.
But playing in this tournament is especially important for Ronaldo.
The 37-year-old football player's career is gradually coming to an end, and he does not want to miss one of his last chances to compete for a trophy.
Therefore, Cristiano himself considered the transfer not only to eminent clubs, but also to those with a ticket to the main European Cup.
"United" will not only miss the current draw of the tournament, but it is far from a fact that it qualifies for the next one.
Competition in the Premier League is as high as ever, and the lack of serious acquisitions even more makes you think about the prospects for ten Hag's wards.
Manchester United finished the last championship in sixth place, but spent less than direct competitors (€ 72.37 million) on strengthening, and even overpaid for Lisandro Martinez.
A 175-centimeter central defender with no experience playing in the strongest European championships cost € 57.37 million. In turn, Tyrell Malasia is more of a purchase for the future and will not help the team immediately rise to the same level with City and Liverpool, but the invitation of Christian Eriksen raises questions at all.
The Dane only recently recovered from heart problems and spent last season at Brentford.
Thus, Ronaldo can solve a couple of problems at once: move to a strong team that can claim victory in the main European Cup, and also work with Diego Simeone.
As reported in the press, the Portuguese has great respect for the mentor and is impressed by his desire to cooperate.
Can Simeone fit Ronaldo into Atlético's system?
The last two years have made it clear that, if desired, Simeone is able to fit in his scheme a pure central striker who does not burden himself with work without the ball.
Indeed, during this period of time, Suarez mainly came out on the edge.
And although it’s quite difficult to compare with the Portuguese in unwillingness to take the ball away, the Uruguayan more or less succeeded.
In terms of the number of pressing actions, he only slightly surpassed the Manchester United forward (8.13 versus 6.54 on average per 90 minutes), but the difference is negligible.
However, this did not stop Louis from being a key element in the coach's attacking formations and becoming one of the main characters of the 2020/21 championship season.
Then he scored 21 goals and helped Atlético to bypass Real Madrid and Barcelona in the table.
Now Suarez is gone, and Ronaldo can become not just a worthy replacement, but an upgrade.
Last season, the Portuguese scored 24 goals in all competitions (11 more than the Uruguayan), while converting chances at the usual high level.
In addition, Cristiano is a much more athletic and versatile player, and is also a great fit for Simeone's more counter-attacking style.
Even at the age of 37, he retained his speed qualities and is able to run forward alone.
And his presence in the box automatically makes every pitch more dangerous.
Among other things, their connection with Joao Felix looks quite curious.
In theory, they could form both a duo of center forwards, and become part of a trio with conditional Antoine Griezmann, Angel Correia or Alvaro Morata.
Last season, Simeone most often opted for 4-4-2 and 3-1-4-2 formations, but if Ronaldo arrives, he may well change his preference.
What is the danger of a transfer to Atlético for Ronaldo?
In this case, the losses are primarily of an image nature.
For the right to play again in the Champions League, Ronaldo can pay with relations with both Manchester United and Real Madrid fans.
The first will not understand his sudden departure a year after the long-awaited return to Old Trafford, the second - the decision to defend the colors of a historical enemy.
It is still hard to imagine how tense the atmosphere will be during his visit to the Santiago Bernabeu with Atlético Madrid.
But without a deafening whistle, it certainly will not do.
However, it is still a long way before Ronaldo's transition to the "mattress" camp.
According to Marca, a transfer seems unlikely for financial reasons.
The club will not pull his big contract, under which he receives €29 million a year, and negotiations with Manchester United may not be the easiest.
If you believe ten Hagu, the Mancunians do not intend to let go of the star striker, therefore, they may demand substantial compensation for his ransom.
But according to The Times, Atlético are serious about acquiring Ronaldo and are even ready to let go of one of the current players for this.
In particular, they talk about a potential breakup with Griezmann, who has not yet reached the previous level after a trip to Barcelona.
Last season, the Frenchman scored only eight goals in 35 meetings, along with seven assists.
The catch is that at the moment he is playing for Madrid on loan, but the agreement provides for a mandatory buyout subject to a certain number of matches.
But even if his sale is legally feasible, there is still no demand for the 2018 world champion.