‘None of us are happy’: Frustrated Ronaldo issues New Year message
Euro 2020, his abrupt departure from Juventus and his shock return to Manchester United were on Cristiano Ronaldo's mind as he used a New Year message to admit he is not happy – while his mother partied in his absence in Portugal.
The Portugal superstar shared his thoughts and feelings on Instagram, where he boasts a whopping 384 million followers.
Captioning a photo of himself sharing a presumably non-alcoholic toast with his four children and partner Georgina Rodriguez, who is expecting twins, Ronaldo began with a humble brag in the caption.
Ronaldo described 2021 as "far from being an easy year, despite my 47 goals scored across all competitions" and one that took in "two different clubs and five different coaches" across Juventus, current club United and the Portugal national team.
He also described qualification for next year's World Cup, which will require Portugal to beat Turkey in order to set up a seismic likely showdown with Italy, as "pending".
"At Juventus, I was proud to win the Italian Cup and the Italian Supercup, and become the Serie A top scorer," Ronaldo said.
"For Portugal, becoming the Euro top scorer was also a high point [of the] year. And of course, my return to Old Trafford will always be one of the most iconic moments in my career."
Ronaldo's time at United, who he surprisingly rejoined in August 2021, has not been as smooth as he would like so far.
The Red Devils had hoped to be challenging for the Premier League title this season but are now considered by many to have no chance of catching runaway leaders and city rivals Manchester City, who are a mammoth 22 points ahead of them at the midway point of the campaign.
The 36-year-old's form in the league has not matched his scintillating displays in the Champions League, scoring just once in eight top-flight appearances at one stage as part of a run that saw his former teammate, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, sacked as United boss.
"I’m not happy with what we are achieving at Man United," admitted Ronaldo, who scored once and set up another goal in a 3-1 win at home to Burnley in his most recent game.
"None of us are happy, I’m sure of that. We know that we have to work harder, play better and deliver way more than we are delivering right now.
"Let’s make this New Year’s Eve a turning point of the season. Let’s embrace 2022 with a higher spirit and a stronger mentality."
New manager Ralf Rangnick joined United on November 21, and Ronaldo is clearly hoping the former Lokomotiv Moscow chief's arrival will herald greater success.
"Let’s take us above and beyond, let’s reach for the stars and put this club right where it belongs. Join us – we’re counting on all of you," he finished, while wishing everyone a Happy New Year and telling them that he would see them soon.
On her own account, Rodriguez shared a photo from the same setting of the happy couple kissing and thanked those that had formed part of her 2021 as well as God for the "good year that you have granted us".
And in Portugal, Ronaldo's mother, Dolores, partied the night away with his brother, Hugo, and sisters Katia and Elma.
As New Year's Eve is also her birthday, Ronaldo wished the "best mother in the world" and "the best grandmother my children could ever dream of having" many happy returns.
He described her as "a warrior who always taught me not to give up". In her own post, Dolores noted that Ronaldo was missing from the photo of her and her children.
"But what does distance mean if within us there is the love that unites us forever and ever?" she asked.
