Cristiano Ronaldo made headlines recently with his speech at the "Quinas de Ouro" award ceremony, where he hinted that his retirement could be closer than many expect, possibly even before reaching 1,000 goals. However, today it is not Ronaldo himself speaking, but one of his former coaches, Ole Gunnar Solskjær. The Norwegian managed the Portuguese forward at Manchester United for several months until he was replaced in the position.

Cristiano's return to England from Juventus was initially seen as a perfect move, both for the price (17 million dollars) and his on-field performance (after scoring 36 goals at Juventus). However, the story of his return unraveled after just one and a half seasons, due to internal team issues. Solskjær admitted in an interview with 'NRK' in Norway that perhaps it wasn't the best decision: "It was probably the wrong decision for all of us, but at the time we felt it was the right one."

Regarding team dynamics, Solskjær also addressed how Cristiano's arrival changed Manchester United's playing style: "With him, we had no issues with the ball, but we had to change how we pressed. We were one of the teams that pressed the most before he arrived."

The impact on the locker room was another topic discussed by the Norwegian coach: "I think it affected the dynamics. Perhaps some players felt less important, because, logically, a global superstar had arrived."

A Near Transfer to Manchester City

During his time under Solskjær, Cristiano played 12 matches, scoring 9 goals and providing 2 assists. However, everything changed with the arrival of Erik Ten Hag as manager. At that time, Cristiano was close to joining Manchester City, which would have completely altered his story in England. In a recent interview, Solskjær remarked: "He is one of the best players in the world of the last 15 years. If he had signed for City, he would have scored more goals than Haaland."

Erling Haaland's Future and National Team

Regarding Haaland, the Norwegian striker is now the captain of his national team following Martin Ødegaard's injury, but with little success in his first games as captain, including a 5-1 loss to Austria. Despite this, Solskjær believes Haaland has the necessary personality to lead: "He has the personality to be captain."

Looking to the future, Solskjær feels ready to take on a national team coaching role. Although he was not contacted by England after Gareth Southgate's departure, the former Manchester United coach does not rule out the possibility of working in international football, whether with Norway or any other national team that may require his services.