Cristiano Ronaldo backs Manchester City and Real Madrid to return to former glory
Cristiano Ronaldo backed his old club Real Madrid and former rival Manchester City to return to the peak of their powers, as the two European giants approach the midpoint of what has been a difficult season for both. Speaking to CNN Sport’s Amanda Davies as part of the 15th edition of the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, Ronaldo was confident that the run that has seen City slip to seventh in the Premier League is just a temporary loss of form. “Teams have moments. Difficult times, good times,” he said. “It’s a difficult time, but I’m sure, 100%, they will be back.” The five-time Ballon d’Or winner did seem to suggest, though, that certain players needed to focus more on their own game. When asked what he would say if he were in the City locker room, Ronaldo replied: “Say less and show more. This is what I will say. I will push a few guys apart and say what I think. I don’t need to say (it) in front of everybody. 
BARCELONA, SPAIN – OCTOBER 01: Robert Lewandowski of FC Barcelona looks on during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match between FC Barcelona and BSC Young Boys at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on October 01, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) David Ramos/Getty Images
“But I think the big teams, the big players, they are smart enough to understand what is the problem, where is the problem. I’m sure 100% they will be back. (City manager Pep) Guardiola is a very smart coach and he knows what the problem is coming from.” As for Los Blancos, Ronaldo did not agree with the assessment that his former team is having a bad season. “I don’t understand how they say this kind of thing,” he said. “If you have to bet to win the Champions League again, I will bet on Real Madrid because you never know what’s going to happen. “And (Real Madrid’s stadium, the Santiago) Bernabéu at that hour is different. All the teams, they’re scared when they play there. This is a fact, history says that. Never consider Real Madrid dead because they’re always back.” One of the reasons Madrid has not quite hit its usual heights this season is the fitness of its players – the likes of David Alaba, Dani Carvajal and Éder Militão are all out with long-term injuries. Ronaldo agreed that players are playing too many games but said that he believed teams and players could get around the fixture congestion by working smarter, not harder. “I think the only way to fight against that is to train less, or to train in an intelligent way,” he said. “You don’t need to go to the pitch and run three, four kilometers every day. You will do that in a game. “So, if you do specific works for these kinds of players, I think they will have less injuries and they have more quality in the games.” One player who knows a thing or two about injuries is Thibaut Courtois, who was also on stage with Ronaldo in Dubai. The Belgian goalkeeper returned from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in March this year but has suffered a number of injuries since. 
Ballon d’Or contender Rodri is injured in a collision with Thomas Party of Arsenal leading to his substitution. David Blunsden/Action Plus/Shutterstock
“Maybe we have to train smarter and maybe a bit more like the NBA,” he agreed. “The NBA plays a lot of games. Obviously, it’s not running so much, but they do it at a high intensity, and maybe the day after, they have a shoot around for 30 minutes just to get loose, and they know the next day they have a game and they will go again.” Following the arrival of Portuguese compatriot Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, Ronaldo also took the chance to reiterate his belief that the current period of malaise at his former club is not the fault of the man on the touchline. “I say this one year and a half ago, and I will continue to say: the problem is not the coaches,” he said. Seemingly referencing the ongoing ownership troubles at the club, Ronaldo even referenced himself as a hypothetical owner of the Red Devils in the future. “If I will be the owner of the club, I will make things clear and adjust what I think is bad there,” he continued. When asked whether he planned to mount an ownership bid in the future, the 39-year-old was coy. “I’m still very young. I have so many plans and dreams ahead. But mark my words, I will be owner of a big club, for sure.” It is, however, unlikely that he will be purchasing a French club to challenge Paris Saint-Germain any time soon, after he once again criticized Ligue 1. “(The) French (league) is only PSG, sorry,” he said. “The other ones compete, okay, but PSG is the strongest. Nobody competes with them. They have better players, the club with more money. This is a fact. “I don’t lie, I don’t say nothing new. I don’t understand why people are so surprised!”
Source: edition.cnn.com