We gave every big six club Cristiano Ronaldo on FM23 and it didn’t go well

When Manchester United signed Cristiano Ronaldo last summer it was widely regarded as a bad decision that would backfire. His individualistic playing style, waning powers, and egotism in the dressing room were certain to get in the way at Old Trafford, as it seemingly did over two disappointing years at Juventus.

Everyone was proved right. Ronaldo is now a free agent after his spectacular fallout with the United hierarchy and, at the time of writing, the only offer on the table is one from Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr. It looks as though his time at the top of the game is over.

But with the power of Football Manager 2023 we can extend his stay in the Premier League and test whether Ronaldo would have fared any better elsewhere. His decision to join United over Manchester City 18 months ago certainly feels like a sliding doors moment, so here’s a chance to find out what Ronaldo would have achieved in the other half of Manchester – and beyond.

We cloned Ronaldo and gave him to each of the ‘Big Six’ Premier League clubs to see whether the 37-year-old’s still got it. Spoiler alert: it did not go well.

Man Utd benefit (sort of) from Ronaldo’s goals

To start with the positives, Ronaldo enjoyed scoring goals at Old Trafford on our sim even if the team did not have a good campaign.

He scored nine league goals from 15 starts and 24 substitute appearances, rotating in and out of the side as the club’s central striker much like he has done in real life, and in the Premier League, he was the club’s second-top goalscorer behind Bruno Fernandes (22).

But United came fifth, missing out on the Champions League spots by a single point, and were defeated 2-1 by Real San Sebastian in the Europa League final – a game in which Ronaldo was an unused substitute.

In fact, the Red Devils’ run to the final was the highlight of the club’s campaign and Ronaldo only managed a single start in the competition.

Ronaldo wins the Champions League with Liverpool

Towards the end of his time at Liverpool, Sadio Mane was often deployed as a central striker, and so it is no surprise that Jurgen Klopp benefitted from the addition of Ronaldo – a powerful centre-forward who could provide a similar vertical energy to the attack.

This is the only club at which Ronaldo succeeds.

And he wins big, collecting a sixth Champions League winners’ medal with a 2-1 win over Real Madrid in the final. Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes but did not score, winning his second trophy…