Character and mentality are two things that have been regularly associated with Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch.
He has for most of his career, resembled the 'clutch' spirit on the biggest stage. His quality has dragged lesser teammates up, best encapsulated with Portugal at Euro 2016 as they went on to win the tournament.
For Erik Ten Hag and Manchester United, few of those traits have been present on the pitch so far this season. His interview with Piers Morgan has effectively scorched his career at Old Trafford, burning bridges with every passing jibe. It felt ironic that Ronaldo referenced the mentality of the younger generation of players now, criticising their approach.
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His critique is severely undermined by his own actions, ones that would be deemed immature if repeated by the younger players he looks down on.
What the interview symbolised in the days it has been slowly released to the public, is the importance of identifying the right characters to bring into the dressing room and the pitfalls of the superstar at the top level.
One of Todd Boehly's earliest actions at Stamford Bridge was to clean up the mess of the Romelu Lukaku signing, whose own controversial interview last year sparked controversy. He, like Ronaldo, quickly soured his reputation in a swift fashion, with making the eventual return to Inter Milan on loan the only healthy option.
Lukaku had been bought for £97m the previous summer and was heralded as the man to resolve Chelsea's striking issues. His personality clashed with Thomas Tuchel and after the interview, a large number of supporters has had enough of him. That incident should have been enough to give Boehly pause for thought on the characters being brought into Chelsea's dressing room, even if the attraction of a superstar like Ronaldo might have tempted the new ownership over the summer.
Some of Chelsea's few transfer wins in recent years have been linked to recruiting the right characters, normally ones who haven't been classed as "superstars" and helped the team become greater than the sum of their parts. Edouard Mendy and Ben Chilwell come to mind with their involvement in the Champions League win in 2021, both becoming popular members of the squad amongst fans after joining in 2020.
The maturity of Thiago Silva has equally provided consistent quality and experience to younger defenders around him, still managing to play at a high level despite passing the age of 38.
The intangibles within why a transfer will or won't work are unpredictable and hard to nail down on a spreadsheet filled with advanced analytics. Both Chelsea and Manchester United have arguably succumbed to the lure of superstar power due to an undefined playing style and culture around the club, consistently trying to chase success with instant gratification.
Shaping that identity with Graham Potter will be vital in the coming months, and hopefully, years, to clarify the type of characters Chelsea require to form a more reliable squad, something Manchester City have been able to master, despite spending vast amounts and winning titles repeatedly since 2018.
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