The signing, by Manchester United, of Cristiano Ronaldo, created considerable media coverage. The nature of the transfer, with the Red Devils seemingly snatching him from under the noses of cross-city rivals Manchester City only heightened the intrigue. In modern football, signing a player with a global reach and appeal such as Ronaldo heightens any club’s commercial opportunities. Ronaldo is the most followed person on Instagram meaning club partners are set to benefit from increased exposure and value across numerous metrics.
Cristiano Ronaldo resigned for Manchester United on a two year deal with the option to extend for a further year.
However, Ronaldo is 36 years old and the Premier League is one of, if not the most physically demanding in the world. This raises questions as to his ability to compete at the top level over the coming years of his contract. The ageing process begins to induce a decline in male physical ability around the early 30’s. Borgest and a team of researchers in Australia highlighted the naturally occurring declines in metabolic, cardiovascular and hormonal systems as the precursors for performance decrements in their review study of 2015. These genetic factors cannot be escaped. And while, in well-trained populations, the performance effects often do not become significant until their early 40’s. In the tiny margins of elite sport any decline can become evident very quickly.
What makes Ronaldo so impressive is the nature of football as a sport. Whilst endurance capacity has been shown to stand up well via training in athletes in their 30’s, the ability to produce power due to the speed of muscle contraction can begin to significantly decrease in your 30’s (Kostka 2005). As football, particularly in the Premier League, continues to impose high physical demands in terms of sprints, fast-paced directional change and high-speed running etc, any drop in these key components would surely impact performance.
There is also a psychological element to ageing. For many, accepting they are no longer capable of the same levels of athleticism is difficult. Others are able to adjust their performances in terms of position, or tactics with team decisions made to compensate for potential weaknesses or physical declines. Players have also been seen to rely on greater experience and knowledge of the various facets of the game and take on entirely new roles. In the case of Ronaldo at Manchester United, it seems clear that the adjustments have been made personally, he is no longer the fast-paced winger he was when he left the club. He is conserving effort to maximise his still considerable physical abilities and the team has been set up tactically to support him as a central striker. Additionally, his knowledge across multiple European leagues and at international level will allow him to evolve once again to suit what is needed within his current environment.
Despite the changes made by Ronaldo and the tactical alterations Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has implemented, if Manchester United are to be successful they will need to maximise Ronaldo’s availability. At 36, Ronaldo is on the cusp at which focused training, nutrition and other adjustments are no longer sufficient to maintain and manage the inevitable age-related declines. This would fit with Borgest et al (2015) who said “performance has been shown to be maintained until approximately the age of 35 years after which it declines slowly”.
Ronaldo is famed for his attention to detail in terms of his own fitness and health regime. He believes this will allow him to play at an elite level until he is 40. Manchester United seemingly also believe this is a possibility having signed him on a two-year contract, with an option to extend it for a further 12 months taking him to within touching distance of his 40th birthday.
During the 2020-2021 season, Manchester United played 61 competitive fixtures across five competitions. Despite all the adjustments in terms of training, lifestyle, tactics, playing role and position, to maximise Ronaldo’s effectiveness, his minutes and appearances will have to be managed.
Recovery will take on increasing importance. The performance team will therefore be looking at windows that can allow for increased or extended periods of rest and recovery. In recent seasons this has often included early rounds of domestic cup competitions. Ronaldo was indeed rested in the EFL cup defeat against West Ham, a decision that created much debate amongst pundits and fans. These rest periods can offer the club and its partners the opportunity to speak with credibility and clarity as to how to preserve elite performance. Training, performance and health brands such as adidas, Aon, Cannon and Ecolab should be using Ronaldo’s story and lifestyle to craft their own performance stories and engage with not just United fans, but the millions of Ronaldo fans across the globe.
At 36 and still able to influence match outcomes Ronaldo is clearly exceptional. His move to Manchester United until potentially close to his 40th birthday demonstrates the faith the club has in his conditioning. To maintain his performance levels takes dedication to a lifestyle many of us couldn’t cope with. To recognise the need to adapt his training and preparation displays a psychological maturity, often missing in others. It will now be up to the club and the manager to monitor his playing load and adjust the tactics to play to his strengths. It then offers the club and some of its key partners a platform to tell his performance story to draw in fans and followers. If he continues to perform, it will only strengthen his claim to be considered
The Greatest of All Time.