Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has acknowledged that re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021 was a mistake.
United seized the opportunity to bring back the multiple-time Ballon d’Or winner when he appeared set to join Manchester City instead of Juventus. Ronaldo had a strong start under Solskjaer and interim manager Ralf Rangnick, scoring 24 goals in 38 appearances during his first season back. However, his role diminished after Erik ten Hag took over, culminating in a highly publicized fallout that led to Ronaldo’s move to Al Nassr in January 2023.
When asked if he regretted re-signing Ronaldo at the Oslo Business Forum, Solskjaer explained, “To answer that, a little context is needed. Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players in the world over the last 15 years. I played with him, and he has a strong history with Manchester United. When he was leaving Juventus, we couldn’t let him go to Manchester City, where he would likely score more goals than Erling Haaland.
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“I spoke to Cristiano, and we brought him to Man Utd, but perhaps that affected the dynamics in the dressing room. Other players might have felt less significant with such a superstar joining the team. He performed well, finishing as the top scorer that year, but I was out of the job just ten weeks later.
“Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and looking back, it didn’t turn out well.”
Since leaving United in November 2021, Solskjaer has not taken on another managerial role but expressed interest in coaching the Norway national team, and he would be eager to return to United if given the chance.