On Saturday I had the privilege of spending time in the company of my friend Tom Clare. You may not know Tom; but most people connected closely with Manchester United do.

Tom describes himself as ‘just a fan’. Well, he’s ‘just a fan’ who was fortunate enough to know many of the Busby Babes as closely as we might know our gardener or window cleaner; he grew up in an era where the connection between players and supporters was much more intimate.

Tom’s writings on United have always been educational for me; his memories priceless and his stories captivating. Over the last part of his life he has lived in Texas, and now Louisiana, and even though he is battling significant ill-health, he still makes trips once or twice a year to see his beloved club play.

He went to what he believes is his final game on Thursday and was thrilled to see an entertaining match, with young players lighting up the Theatre of Dreams under a manager who seems to have his finger on the pulse of the club. He attended a dinner on Friday evening and believed that would be his last visit to Old Trafford.

One snag in that problem – I have never had a picture taken with Tom, and I wanted to have one with him at Old Trafford. When I suggested it to him, his eyes lit up. One more time. It was a special moment to me to get those pictures.

As we arrived on the forecourt in front of the statues, the front of the stadium towered down over us, with the facade of it now used as a giant billboard. This week, it has been housing the latest promotional campaign dedicated to the legacy of the number seven shirt, with Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo all included in advertising images.

The club have used George Best, too, in their media campaign, and rightly so. Best may not have worn number seven all the time, or even most of the time, but he wore it in the 1968 European Cup Final and the style and class he showcased in the shirt made it a significant jersey for Willie Morgan to inherit in the 1970s.

It became Steve Coppell’s and then Bryan Robson was personified with it throughout the 80s; Manchester United’s one-man team wore the number seven.

When Cantona took it from Robson, he popped up the collar and wore it through an era where names were added – where the value of the club rose from around £60m to £600m. Everyone wanted a United shirt with Cantona on the back. The ultimate in cool is a black 1993 shirt with Cantona 7.

Cantona retired and David Beckham admitted that he cried when he discovered he was the next in line. If Cantona was a merchandiser’s dream, Beckham was a fantasy – English, good-looking, eager to have the spotlight that was presented to him.

And he lived up to it, becoming DB7, football’s first such brand alongside R9; when he moved to Real Madrid, and the number seven was occupied by Raul, Beckham confessed to selecting the number 23 because of his love for basketball, but his association with the number seven continues to this day with his charitable endeavours.

Beckham’s replacement at Old Trafford was an 18-year-old by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo wanted the number 28 shirt, but Ferguson insisted that he should take the number 7 jersey.

On his debut, his dazzling footwork and the number on his back made Best’s close friend Rodney Marsh compelled to draw the comparison on the Sky Sports News panel. The show was on the road.

The truth was that if Ronaldo had been granted his very first request to join Real Madrid in 2006, the Spanish would have been getting a very good winger. A winger on his way to becoming world class. There’s no question of that. He was inconsistent, but improving. He would have become one of the best players in the world.

It is undeniable that the decision to fight and keep him in Manchester for the following three years had a significant impact for both club and player.

United became the best team in the world and Ronaldo benefitted from the mentality of his manager and support of the staff as intensive work went into accommodating him into a free role and helping him understand the effect of economy. He transformed into the best player in the world in this period, all parties benefitting hugely.

In 2008, in another attempt to force a move, he described himself as a ‘slave’, a comment which did not go down very well with long-time supporters. In 2009, he got the move he wanted, and at Real Madrid, he scored goals and won European Cups at a rate which propelled him into the conversation for being one of the absolute greatest to play the game – in the top four or five in most people’s reckoning.

CR7 became CR9 but when Raul left, he quickly took that shirt. After being 17 with Portugal he took the seven. He took that number at Juventus and when he returned to Old Trafford in one of the biggest blockbuster transfers of all time, Edinson Cavani was happy to bequeath the number back to Ronaldo.

His entire brand is centred around a number that was given to him, as a gift, something he had not yet earned, but certainly lived up to. He absolutely benefitted from the path that was walked before him in that shirt, he benefitted from the legacy and reputation of those who had contributed to it before him. That’s part of the romance of football and particularly Manchester United.

Cards on the table – Ronaldo, the player, I love him. I’ve felt he is the greatest of this generation. I’ve felt those who label Messi as the purist’s player have significantly undermined the skill Ronaldo has. When he came back to the club I absolutely loved it.

The first game back against Newcastle (and it might have been extra special because it was my first at Old Trafford after lockdown) was one of the most special in the history of the club. The atmosphere was electric. A new king? Perhaps.

He was not the same Ronaldo as ten years earlier. But he had such an economy in his play that he was able to score over 20 goals at the age of 37. Hat-tricks. Late winners in the Champions League. Landmarks – the greatest goalscorer in international history. 800 career goals. The greatest goalscorer in men’s football history. All of these incredible achievements recorded by a Manchester United player and I was so delighted and proud of that.

It was more complex than that of course. After a few weeks it was obvious that the team were playing differently. They had to. This and a midfield chasm contributed to a terrible run of form. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked. Ronaldo looked lost in the big games. Ralf Rangnick came in – he asked Ronaldo to play a pressing game. He tried, and if he was more successful at it than the interim manager was in his own role, that’s not saying much.

Many doubters tried to anticipate a failure by writing think-pieces casting him as a catalyst for Juventus’ recent downfall. It’s true that there was deference in the United camp – Dalot and Fernandes idolise him, as do a number of younger players, and that’s only natural, but rumours of his destabilising impact within the camp could be somewhat overstated considering the identity of the individuals said to hold resentment towards him. That is to say, it’s just as unprofessional to hold that sort of opinion, and Ronaldo has achieved enough to allow his accolades speak for themselves and then let the way he carried himself do the talking.

And class is permanent, right? Ronaldo could reinvent himself and become a valuable member of the squad. A hat-trick against Spurs suggested there was plenty of life in a world class striker. You don’t just discard a club legend even though it was clear to see there was now a decline in his game.

And then there’s the generational connection. My nephew had started to get into football in a major way when I was writing the book and making the film True Genius. He was obsessed with George Best – so when Ronaldo signed, I was able to present him a hero he could witness in the flesh. He did just that against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup. He saw Ronaldo miss a penalty in normal time and he saw us eliminated on spot-kicks – but he saw his favourite player score in the shoot-out and described it as the ‘best day of his life’.

He also got to witness Ronaldo play again, against West Ham recently, and enthused about how well he’d played after the game because he’d had a few shots, although he understands that he might not get another chance because of the transfer speculation.

Last night, Piers Morgan took great delight in revealing that he had interviewed Ronaldo for his hugely popular (ed – check) television show; within an hour, clips were circulating and quotes were carried in the Sun newspaper and website where the player goes into detail about a number of things, feeling he was disrespected, disbelieved about the illness of his child, he complained that the club have not appeared to progress since Sir Alex retired, and also stated that he does not respect Erik ten Hag.

Let’s take this all step by step. The first thing is that we do not know the full context of how and why these quotes were said and it is highly likely that Morgan was quite happy to be mischievous in his line of questioning to know how the smallest soundbites would come across with someone who, let’s not forget, speaks English as a second language. I’m not excusing Ronaldo in this instance, I’m merely explaining Morgan’s wide-eyed opportunism.

There is a lot of controversy around Ronaldo off the pitch. I don’t want to engage in speculation, especially in regards to private incidents, so I will treat the alleged accusations he has made to the club’s officials in the same light as the ones made against him before he returned to the club. They do not factor into this piece I’m writing.

What we do know is that at a time when he suffered the most tragic of personal events, the club were there to rally around and support him and his family. That cannot be questioned. The support felt that trauma for him and expressed their love for him.

What we also know is that Ronaldo did not attend the pre-season tour to Australia and in the hours prior to the team departing, his management leaked it worldwide that he wanted to leave to join a Champions League club. He quickly found that none were keen. That’s not United’s fault. Not Ten Hag’s fault.

It’s not even Ronaldo’s fault – it’s just a consequence of what happens when you make a big move at the age of 36. He came back to the club because there were no takers. There was an alleged open understanding that if an offer came in, he could leave – but it was Ronaldo himself who was narrowing the pool of potential destinations.

He left a pre-season game early, a dreadful example to set, leaving the new manager with no choice but to exercise some discipline and set his own example. Despite not really being fit, Ronaldo was given a start at Brentford, and played like someone who hadn’t had a pre-season.

He was then out of the starting line-up – justifiably so – against Liverpool. Ten Hag chose to start Rashford and Elanga, and then bring on Martial; three players who will likely not come close to achieving what Ronaldo has achieved in the game. They’ll never reach his stature. That’s not being unkind – Ronaldo is in the top handful to ever play. But for the moment in time, they are better suited to the style the team plays.

Ronaldo was a first-hand witness to something similar. Louis Saha replaced Ruud van Nistelrooy. He did not replace the goals and he was in no way comparable as a player, and that is without any disrespect intended to Saha. What the Frenchman did bring was an agility and movement outside the box that liberated the movement of Rooney and Ronaldo. Van Nistelrooy was surplus to requirements. That’s football.

It was on Ronaldo to prove he still had a role to play, and let’s be completely brutal about this, the onus was most certainly on him after attempting to find a new club. There is no Real Madrid and a glory decade in front of him – there is a sharp downwards trajectory wherever he goes once he leaves Old Trafford, and that’s the club even in the position they are in now.

The short term allure of a move to Chelsea might suit both parties with Graham Potter already feeling the strain and the owner keen to make a statement. The emotional return to Sporting would probably appeal to some, but, like United, not with a long-term functionality in mind.

With these options in place, Ronaldo’s best bet at maintaining a strong legacy in football is to remain at United, accept a role as still a regular starter who would have to settle for maybe twenty minutes at the end of big games when mental and physical fatigue has begun to impact opponents.

That’s a pretty good position for a player who’s about to become 38.

He could have set an example by coming in to training every day and showing the dedication and discipline it needs to be at that level and achieve what he has in the game.

The ego is a powerful thing, though. And it appears that being dropped for the game against Spurs caused some damage. He stormed off before the end of the game. He missed the next one – but played the next four, and when he scored against Sheriff in the Europa League, the stadium erupted. He even captained the club in what seems like it will be his last appearance, the dismal output at Villa Park. Is this disrespect?

Most have accepted that his exit is inevitable. Nobody would have really minded where he went. But there are ways and means, and the entire manner in which the last day’s events have unfolded is absolutely disgraceful and disrespectful for everything the club has done for him.

Let’s address one thing – the reference about the club not moving forward. There are already a lot of Ronaldocentric fans in my mentions on social media applauding him for calling out the club’s ownership. He has done nothing of the sort – he has tried to excuse his underperformance instead of simply accepting there is a natural decline with age. He’s been quite happy to accept a huge salary and he was quite happy to remain on it when he didn’t receive anything comparable in offers in the summer.

The most damning thing he has done is to admit that he doesn’t respect Ten Hag; you would suspect that such a comment, if made in the context in which it has been suggested, would be sufficient for a mutual termination announcement to be made before the interview even airs.

Let’s be clear on this. Football is not black and white. It’s grey, and riddled with hypocrisies and contradictions. I liked Van Gaal as a character, I disliked his football aside for the last few months when the kids were in the side. I thought Mourinho was a great character before we hired him; I felt his second place in the league was a good achievement to deserve proper backing, but I still did not enjoy watching us play, and the way he conducted himself towards the end of his tenure was disgraceful. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer remains one of my favourite players and I believe he did a lot of good as a manager but there is no doubting that his naivety and non-total control of the dressing room was always going to prohibit us from taking the next step.

A cynic might suggest that the timing of the interview was chosen to expedite a contract termination, in the event Ronaldo plays and stars at the World Cup, making him a hot January free agent. Fine. But to do it hours after a youngster who idolises you scores a goal just like you did once? Taking his headlines, taking his moment of glory. For what?

Ronaldo is still one of the greatest of all-time. I find myself still glad – even now, as I reflect writing this – that I’ve witnessed the good events of the last year because football is not only about trophies, it’s about moments. It’s about legacy.

And legacy, as Ronaldo is keenly aware, is about what you achieve and how you are remembered for doing so.

It’s in that last section where he has let himself down, or, he has been badly advised by those meant to be looking after him.

He could have said all these things on his own platform. Or any other platform. It would have been decidedly unprofessional – but that would have been his choice. Fine.

To go to Piers Morgan, of all people, and the Sun, of all news outlets, is a travesty which requires instant apology and recognition if he is bothered about forgiveness and protecting his actual legacy at Manchester United.

Piers Morgan who, for all his other controversies that are too many to mention, was editor of a national newspaper when it published a dartboard dedicated to Ronaldo’s predecessor in the shirt he has become famous for wearing. Morgan who reneged on agreements to explain United’s withdrawal from the FA Cup in 2000 was due to political pressure, instead throwing the club under the bus.

Morgan who, in true hypocritical style, described Ronaldo as a ‘spoiled brat’, a ‘cheat’ who had ‘revealed a stunning thoughtlessness for fans’ when he wanted to leave in 2008. But Morgan now has Ronaldo’s number, so can cozy up to him and massage his ego, using his platform to help Ronaldo display that thoughtlessness once more. It’s pathetic and transparent and Ronaldo should have known better, he should have known Morgan would seize any opportunity to try and cause controversy at United.

And then there’s the Sun aspect, which is even more unforgivable. Let’s forget even their long roll call of shame and concentrate on the big one, Hillsborough. As a Manchester United supporter I dislike Liverpool with a passion, it’s my most hated game of the season, but I absolutely stand with that club when it comes to what the Sun did regarding the 1989 tragedy.

It’s such a standard and accepted thing not to do (to give them an interview, much less a controversial ‘exclusive’) that it actually boggles the mind; it makes you wonder if he ever truly understood the country in which he made his name. It is shameful that he’s allowed Piers Morgan to attempt to embroil the club in disgrace in a full front page splash of that newspaper.

It is absolutely shameful, and it is immensely disrespectful to a club who presented him with the opportunity to make such significant riches. It is disrespectful to the manner in which those who represented the club before him paved the way, all the way back to Duncan Edwards, creating the role of a superstar who was indulged in a team of world class players. He was given that indulgence.

Yes, he worked as hard as anyone could to maximise the most of his potential, but he was also given a special legacy and lineage.

I say Morgan attempted; most associated with the club accepted in the summer that the time was come to part ways with Ronaldo. It is not destabilising that he leaves the club, nor do any of his comments cause any significant damage to the future of the club. Not really. If anything, it will be quite the opposite.

It is sad for those specific parties if there has been personal disagreements but football is football – where once Ronaldo moved because he felt it was better for him, now United will move on for their own betterment.

This episode will give further opportunity for Ten Hag to exert his control over the dressing room by handling the exit, and he will be fully supported by every fan who has Manchester United’s best interests at heart. That can only be good for the club moving forward, which will be much to Morgan’s chagrin.

There is enough time between games, and the squad is all away now, so when they are reunited, there will be a new mood and a new atmosphere, a new sense of togetherness and a renewed awareness of the hostility and bitterness that still pervades, which always helps to internally bond.

The one thing this will do is damage relations with Ronaldo and the club and it will significantly impact how fondly he is remembered.

He returned with the potential of being known as the club’s best ever player and even the possibility of a statue somewhere at Old Trafford; there is absolutely no chance of that happening now. Parents will move quickly to find their kids a new hero, hopefully one who will not do the same – is it a modern footballer thing? You would hope not. Those of us old enough to have lived through both of his spells, those of us old enough to remember numerous players to carry that number seven shirt, will be redefining where he stands in the list of United’s greats.

There is no doubting that Cristiano Ronaldo is a legend of football, but in one fell swoop he has in all likelihood tarnished the idea that he will be known as a Manchester United legend.

I say that with deep sadness as someone who has loved watching him play; I defended his decline. I loved seeing him break the records. I loved introducing my nephew into that adoration.

That’s the greatest shame of it all; and for that, we can shake our heads with knowing pity at Morgan and the Sun, but we all know the person responsible.