Tommy Martin: Ronaldo now a slightly tragic God with his notebook of lies

Whatever is driving Ronaldo now, at 37, with all he has achieved, all the worlds he has conquered, all the goals and trophies and medals and adulation, whatever it could be, he probably won’t find the answer at Old Trafford or at some other shiny stadium either, Champions League or not.

EXIT?: Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United reacts during the Premier League match between Brentford FC and Manchester United at Brentford Community Stadium on August 13, 2022 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Can it be just less than a year?

September 11th 2021, Manchester United 4-1 Newcastle United. Cristiano Ronaldo’s first game back. Four months after an angry mob stormed Old Trafford in protest about the aborted Super League, the owners, the demoralising effects of globalisation, the privations of lockdown…whatever it was about, the day Ronaldo came back, the stadium shook and reverberated with pure, ecstatic, cleansing joy.