According to Ronaldo, he is not being given the respect or attention that he deserves from the club. When asked about Ronaldo’s happiness, Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has stated, “”Cristiano is playing at 100% and scoring goals. He is a team player, unselfish, an example at training. I am not worried about things which are not fundamental”. With Ronaldo unhappy in Madrid, could this be Sir Alex’s best chance to reunite with his star pupil?

At 27 years of age, Ronaldo is still very healthy and injury-free. In his career that has so far spanned a decade, he has never faced a serious or career threatening injury. This means that if Manchester United does end up re-acquiring the “Portuguese Master”, they wont have to worry about his shelf life.

Not only is Ronaldo getting less yellow cards per season than past years, he also is more mature in his reaction to controversial calls against him. Examples of this are his infamous “wink” at the 2006 world cup, after the sending off of Wayne Rooney as compared to his leadership by example of the Portuguese side at the 2010 world cup. If United can get Ronaldo back, they will no longer have to worry about disciplinary issues.

From 07’, 08’ and 09’ Ronaldo won the league each year with United. In doing so, he became part of the second team in the history of the Premier League to accomplish such a feat. The only other side that won three titles on the trot was of course United’s treble winning side which also won the league in 99’, 00’ and 01’. That team was led by Ronaldo’s predecessor David Beckham. In bringing Ronaldo back, United improves their chanced of another triple success.

Just two seasons after joining Real Madrid, Cristiano managed to win La Liga. By doing this, he took back the title from Barcelona who had dominated the charts for the past three seasons. In doing this, he proved to be the determining factor that caused Madrid to overtake their national rivals thus validating his huge transfer fee.

After Ronaldo left Old Trafford in 2009, United promptly lost their triple title as Premier League champions for the first time in four years to Chelsea. This was directly and undoubtedly caused by United’s failure to get forward and score as shown in the table above. This was obviously due to the absence of Ronaldo their past season’s top scorer and primary offensive threat. In bringing him back, United would be putting themselves in a position to score more frequently and consistently.

When Real Madrid first broke international transfer records from the most expensive player of all time, more than a few eyebrows were raised. Pundits across the globe questioned whether or not £80 million was a justifiable price for a man who was prone to immature outbursts and immature actions. However, Ronaldo proved his worth not only with a football but also through the sales of his shirt. In his first year in the Spanish capital Real Madrid sold £80 million worth of “Ronaldo Shirts” alone (Metro.com) . This figure increased again in 2010 as he changed from number 9 to number 7 following the departure of Raul.While many United fans are worried about the “astronomical cost” of bringing Ronaldo back to Old Trafford, the revenue generated from the sales of his shirts literally cover the cost of buying him.

At Man United, Ronaldo managed an impressive 84 goals in 196 appearances (FIFA.com). This equates to a little under a goal every two games. However, at Madrid he has caught fire, striking 126 goals in only 118. In doing this he is one of a handful of players worldwide to have a goals per game ratio north of 1. While some will argue that La Liga is easier to score in the Premier League, it is undeniable that if even some of Ronaldo’s fire power is unleashed in England, it will be undeniably brilliant and beneficial to a team like United that is currently relying on the rapidly aging RVP for inspiration and salvation.

His personal awards include, PFA Young Player of the Year, FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year, PFA Player’s Player of the Year, PFA Fan’s Player of the Year, Barclays Player of the Year, UEFA Champions League Topscorer, Premier League Golden Boot, FIFA World Player of the Year, World Soccer Player of the Year, La Liga Topscorer, UEFA Euro Topscorer, FIFPro World XI and many others. In addition to that teams he has been a part of have won things like, the Premier League, FA Cup, Football League Cup, FA Community shield, UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, La Liga, Copa Del Rey and the Supercopa amongst others. This shows the level of prestige and success that Ronaldo brings to any club that he joins.

Through his sponsorships from companies like Nike, Pro Evolution Soccer, Castrol and many others, Ronaldo has found himself listed fifth on the list of most marketable athletes globally. In the past decade he has created a brand for himself, CR7, which is now known across the world. If he is to make a return to Old Trafford, it would be most fitting. Almost as if to give back to the place that made him who he is today, an international superstar and goal scoring machine.