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2022 is the worst year in Cristiano Ronaldo’s life

Ronaldo had an up-and-down year in which he not only came up empty-handed at the club and national team levels but also had to deal with sadness in his personal life.
Leey
By: Leey

In Western culture, Christmas and New Year's are considered the most meaningful, joyful, and anticipated times of the year. However, for Cristiano Ronaldo, 2022 will be the saddest Christmas of his life.

The tragedy in personal life

 Recently, in the Spanish edition of Elle fashion magazine, Ronaldo's girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez, candidly shared: "This year has been the most difficult of my life. The happiest moment has become the saddest and will be with us for life." Rodriguez mentioned the time when she gave birth to the twins she was carrying with Ronaldo. Unfortunately, only the baby girl was born.

"Angel" is the name Ronaldo gave to his unborn child. And he announced to the world in excruciating pain: "With the deepest sadness, we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away. It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel. Only teh birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness."

Ronaldo announced about his pain in personal life

It was the saddest thing in Ronaldo's personal life in 2022. After this tragedy, he could not have improvement in his career to balance his emotions. 

The tragedy in career

Decline form

The decision to return to Manchester United was perhaps one of the biggest mistakes Ronaldo made in the final stages of his career. 

Ronaldo is still with the Red Devils in the knockout round of the Champions League after scoring important goals against Atalanta and Villarreal in the group stage. However, Ronaldo's position at Old Trafford is lost.

Ronaldo still started both matches against Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 of the Champions League season of 2021/22. However, with his performance on the decline and the general lack of cohesion of the Red Devils team, Ronaldo could not show the strength of a favorite player in the past. Manchester United lost the final 1-2 and thus officially bid farewell to Europe's most prestigious arena.

Ronaldo's form decline in Manchester United

Ronaldo also gradually lost the opportunity to play in the scheme of the new coach, Ralf Rangnick, because the strategist required a high pressing frequency from the frontline players. Having just turned 37 at that time, Ronaldo was no longer suitable for that style of play. The change in coach did not change Ronaldo's career in 2022. Coach Erik Tan Hag frequently used Ronaldo in the final minutes of the game, when everything was in place. For a star like Ronaldo, it is disrespectful.

Receive the disrespect from young players, coach and Manchester United

Although he is one of the best players in football history, Ronaldo did not receive the respect from the young players who once considered him an idol when he returned to Manchester United.

Greenwood, before getting caught up in the scandal that destroyed his career as a player, played personally and was selfish in the ball-handling phase. The most frustrating person with Greenwood's attitude is none other than Ronaldo.

Rashford had a bad attitude in the 1-0 FA Cup win over Aston Villa. He was annoyed when Greenwood didn't pass him in a favorable position. The striker wearing the number 10 shirt then did not bother to rush onto the ball after the opponent's goalkeeper broke it. But after Ronaldo reminded him, Rashford reacted strongly. He and the group of British players at Manchester United were angry with Ronaldo's actions.

Ronaldo did not receive the respect of young players

The relationship between Ronaldo and the coach of Manchester United is also not good. Their relationship was so bad that Ronaldo said this sentence twice in the interview with Piers Morgan: "If you don't have respect for me, I will never have any for you."

Moreover, Manchester United's lack of protection against rumors also made CR7 feel sad. In an exclusive interview with journalist Piers Morgan on the ITV channel in mid-November, Ronaldo revealed that he could not meet up on time in July because he had to be with his 3-month-old daughter, who was hospitalized. According to Ronaldo, the Old Trafford leadership was even suspicious when he explained the reason for his not being able to join the club, which made him feel hurt.

Ronaldo talk about everything in the interview ith Piers Morgan 

After all, Ronaldo agreed to end his relationship with the Red Devils, stating that he feels betrayed by Man Utd's treatment. Ronaldo also confirmed that the leadership is trying to force him to find a new destination.

Being the free player and having difficulty finding the new destination

After the shocking interview with Piers Morgan on November 23, Manchester United decided to end his contract earlier than expected. Ronaldo officially became a free agent before the 2022 World Cup.

Many people believed that Ronaldo would quickly accept the offers from the big clubs, but he did not receive offers. Many prestigious European clubs, including Real Madrid, PSG, and Bayern Munich, have confirmed that they have no plans to sign Ronaldo. The reason for this opposition could be the high salary or the club's future plans. Currently, Ronaldo has received two offers from Asian clubs, while he wants to continue in Europe to conquer the great titles.

Ronaldo recieved an offer from Al Nassr

 

Having sad ending in World Cup 2022

After his contract with Manchester United expired, Ronaldo skipped everything to demonstrate to the World Cup 2022. This is also the last time he appears in the world's largest football tournament.

When he scored in the penalty area against Ghana in the opening match, football fans hoped that Ronaldo would have an outstanding and happy World Cup. However, this is also his only goal during the tournament. He disappeared on the day Bruno Fernandes confirmed the importance by having a brace in the match against Uruguay. And he also did not have his mark as Portugal was beaten up by Korea in the last round of the group stage.

Entering the 1/8 round, the European Selecao destroyed Switzerland 6-1, but Ronaldo still could not score the first goal of his career in the knockout round of the World Cup, despite being on the field for nearly 20 minutes.

Ronaldo lost the position in the offcial squad

Then, when he continued to have to come on from the bench against Morocco in the semi-finals, Ronaldo tried his best to hold on to the fragile hope but could not prevent the African representative from creating an earthquake.

Ronaldo cried after the final whistle, as he trudged from the grass into the tunnel with his face covered. CR7 knows that is the day his World Cup dream ends. His dream during his career could not be completed when at 41 years old, making a difference in the next World Cup is difficult.

Ronaldo cried after Portugal was eliminated from World Cup 2022

Ronaldo also did not say anything when coach Fernando Santos resigned as Portugal's coach. Many sources believe that the close relationship between Ronaldo and Santos was broken because of a rift in Qatar.

Ronaldo's anguish was compounded when his career rival, Lionel Messi, was crowned World Cup champion in 2022. Ronaldo remained silent on social media after Lionel Messi surpassed him to become the greatest player of all time at the World Cup. Darren Bent, one of his contemporaries, mocked him for "probably turning off all notifications when Messi won the world championship."

Messi's World Cup championship ended the 15-year long controversy between CR7 and M10

The respect of the football fans for Ronaldo has become even more negative because of statement from his family, specifically his sister Katia Aveiro, posted about "the worst 2022 World Cup in history." The image of the defeated is getting worse and worse in the public eye.

The year 2022 is nearing its end, but for Ronaldo, it has been over since mid-December. After a year where Ronaldo lost everything—from family events to his position in the club and the national team, Ronaldo still had to face an undetermined future. 

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Leey
Written by: Leey
Leey is the reporter for Betimate. She currently has a series of articles about football. She specializes in researching football data to come up with evaluations about the tournament and predictions about the matches.

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