After Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit was finally confirmed by Manchester United on Tuesday, the Portuguese superstar now finds himself on the hunt for a new club.
Which club will be willing to take on his gigantic wage demands and the baggage that comes with being the most followed person on the planet remains to be seen.
Ronaldo agitated for a move away from Old Trafford in the summer but found his options limited with his preference being a team that could offer him Champions League football this season.
Top clubs were quick to distance themselves from the ageing superstar but without United as a safety net any longer, Ronaldo will need to convince someone he is worth the hassle.
Although Ronaldo scored 18 league goals last season, United suffered one of the worst campaigns in recent memory and the Portuguese was attributed with a large chunk of the blame.
No longer able to race past defenders or press with the intensity the modern game requires, Ronaldo needs to be accommodated in return for a guarantee of goals.
Chelsea remain heavily linked with his signing but it feels as though the main driver is new owner Todd Boehly rather than Blues boss Graham Potter.
Chelsea would represent an opportunity to add to his Champions League goal tally and Ronaldo remains open to a move to London.
Bayern Munich are another club that agent Jorge Mendes has approached and probably represents Ronaldo’s ideal destination: an almost guaranteed league title in a fourth different country as well as a shot at Champions League glory.
The most tantalising of stories loom should PSG show an interest in the 37-year-old, with Lionel Messi still at the Parc des Princes, the eyes of the world would turn to Paris to watch the two great rivals play on the same side.
Sporting Lisbon could offer Ronaldo a realistic return to his homeland. Ronaldo has always suggested he will play in Lisbon before he hangs up is boots but his wages would have to take a serious hit if he was to take this romantic route back to Portugal.
The MLS is another viable option for Ronaldo and clubs would queue up to take on the superstar in order to shine light on themselves and the improving league as a whole.
David Beckham’s Inter Miami would be a possible destination as they attempt to assert themselves in the division.
Lastly, there is the option of an eye-watering financial move to Saudi Arabia with an unnamed Saudi club willing to offer Ronaldo a two-year contract worth €350 million in the summer and despite his wealth, that kind of money would surely be hard to turn down.
Wherever Ronaldo ends up, United must now turn their attention to a new era without the star as Erik Ten Hag plots a route back to the top of the English footballing pyramid.
