It's going to be fascinating to see whether Cristiano Ronaldo's explosive interview really will ruin his legacy at Manchester United.
For some, he will always be remembered as the boy who arrived as a teenager and left as the best player on the planet. 145 goals in 346 appearances, three Premier League titles, a Champions League triumph, and a handful of domestic cups too.
For others, he will be recalled as the self-indulgent striker whose pursuit of personal interests not only built his reputation in the game but brought it crashing down as well. A player who used to do his talking on the pitch has now reduced himself to doing it in interviews.
Read next: United players won't welcome Ronaldo back after Ten Hag change
In truth, he will be remembered by many for all of the above. Ronaldo's legendary status at the club and the countless iconic moments he delivered in a United shirt can never be forgotten. The only thing that has changed is how he will be remembered: as someone who put himself before the interests of the club and caused further unrest at a time when things looked like they were beginning to change.
The question is: will things ever really change enough while the current owners remain at the helm?
Under previous managers, there appeared to be similar turning points for United. Most notably, under both Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, there were moments of genuine belief that they were on the right track and capable of putting together a serious title challenge once again.
Things quickly unravelled though. When it looked like United had turned a corner, they in fact went around in circles, with the same criticisms about the overall structure of the club, a lack of direction on the football front, and a lack of investment that did not match the money they had available.
Even amid the recent revival under Erik ten Hag, there are still questions about just how far United can really go under the Dutchman, considering that they head into the World Cup break fifth in the table following a summer of record investment.
Going forward, not only does more money need to be made available for overhauling the playing squad, but further investment is also needed in the club's training facilities and the stadium.
It's difficult to see all of that happening to the required level when the owners don't have the necessary driving love for the club and dedication to making them the best in the world again.
"The Glazers, the owners of the club, they don't care about the club, professional sport," Ronaldo told Piers Morgan, adding that he hasn't met the Glazers since they took over.
United fans have continuously protested their ownership of the club and did so again during the win at Fulham last weekend.
Even though the supporters are in favour of Ten Hag and the team he has begun to assemble, there is still an underlying dread that the Dutchman could eventually be let down by the wider machine above him, despite his own best efforts to put things right.
United have not won a trophy since they hoisted the Europa League title in 2017, and as that last piece of silverware nears its sixth anniversary, there will no doubt be fresh protests against the Glazer family when club football returns next month.
"The fans are always right," Ronaldo added.. "They should know the truth. The players want the best for the club. I want the best for the club. This is why I came to Manchester United, this is why I love this club.
"You have some things inside the club which don't help Manchester reach the top level like City, Liverpool and even now Arsenal. It's complicated. It's difficult. It's hard."
Ronaldo can not be forgiven for the way he has handled himself in recent days, but amongst the chaos he has caused, there is still a valid criticism of the club's ownership, and a powerful one given that it has come from the poster boy of the club and the biggest social media personality on the planet.
The counter-argument is the timing of those comments. It was he who chose to return to the club the Glazers owned, and if he really felt so strongly against their ownership, then he had many other opportunities to make the comments, which would have carried even greater weight had they come at a time when he remained a key member of the team.
The irony is that those poor, impulsive, decisions dictated by commercial gain are the exact reason why they re-signed him. He symbolises the issues he complains about.
In the eye of the storm, it might still feel like a disaster for United, but in fact, this could be the ultimate blessing in disguise. The owners have been publicly called out by Ronaldo, and now Ten Hag has been given free reign to cut their problematic highest-earner loose.
Ronaldo is on his way out, and United fans will hope he has taken a step towards taking the Glazers with him.
Read more:
