Let it be said that on Friday, Dec. 27, every sports journalist on Earth kicked themselves for not coming up with the analogy first.
At the Globe Soccer Awards, footy legend Cristiano Ronaldo made one of the most colourful and imaginative remarks you'll hear this year, comparing former club Manchester United to a sick fish ... or perhaps an unhealthy aquarium?
"It's like the aquarium and you have the fish inside and it's sick, and you take him out and fix the problem. If you put it back in the aquarium, it will be sick again," Ronaldo said at the award show, according to BBC Sport. "This is the problem of Manchester United. It is the same."
The former Manchester United star, and five-time Ballon d'Or winner, currently plays for Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr. Ronaldo spoke after being named the best player in the Middle East at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai.
The peculiar comparison came when asked about new Man U head coach Ruben Amorim and his struggles in trying to keep the team afloat amid a tumultuous campaign.
Since 2013, when legend of the game Alex Ferguson retired from his long-time managerial position at the club, United has had a revolving door on their bench. However, Ronaldo made it clear that he believes the problem with the team doesn't stem from coaching.
The team hired Amorim away from Portuguese club Sporting CP, Ronaldo's youth team, and has crawled to a 4-1-5 (W-D-L) in his short stint. They most recently lost 2-0 to Wolverhampton on Thursday, in a game that saw captain Bruno Fernandes get sent off after a second yellow card.
The move for Amorim came in the middle of the season, after the club fired Erik ten Hag in October with the team sitting in 14th place in the Premier League standings. Two months later, they are still in 14th.
"The Premier League is the most difficult league in the world," Ronaldo said, a testament to the exponential growth of clubs like Nottingham Forest and AFC Bournemouth this season. "All the teams are good, all the teams, they fight, all the teams run. All the players are strong.
"Football is different right now, no easy games anymore."
Ronaldo’s second spell at United ended in November 2022, with disagreements between him and Ten Hag.
Real Madrid's all-time top scorer Ronaldo also said Vinicius Júnior had deserved to win the prestigious Ballon d'Or award rather than Spain midfielder Rodri. The Brazilian won the best player in the world award on Friday in Dubai. Earlier this month, Vinicius was also named men’s player of the year at FIFA’s “The Best” awards.
“Vinicius deserved the Ballon d'Or," Ronaldo said. "It was unfair (to lose it). I say it in front of everyone.”
Though Amorim has had some growing pains adjusting to the style of the Prem, having someone in your corner, particularly with the gravitas of Cristiano Ronaldo, should certainly help.
The two-time Man United superstar believes the best is yet to come for both the manager and the club.
"I knew that it would be tough and they will continue the storm, but the storm will finish and the sun will rise," he said. "It will be good with him and I hope the best for Manchester United because it is a club I still love."
As long as they can clean that aquarium.
-- With files from the Associated Press
