It ought to sadden a player of Ronaldo's towering ability that he leaves the club of Busby and his babes, of Edwards and Colman, of Law, Charlton and Best, of Robson, Hughes and Cantona, not as a hero to rank for all eternity alongside the greats, but unloved, cast out, a genius without a soul.
He believes he is going to a better place. We'll see. The galactico policy previously pursued by Florentino Perez during his first presidency of Real Madrid proved flawed, a strategy of ephemeral beauty but ultimately flawed. And despite the defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League final, in Manchester United he leaves the better team.
Ronaldo could have been the daddy of them all, a Zeus, a Jupiter, deified in the annals of Old Trafford. Instead few will mourn his passing.
On paper Ronaldo would have to line up in an all-time United XI. Best on one wing, he on the other. But that is a manager's business. To connect with the fan technical mastery is not enough. A player must enter our hearts to linger when the final whistle has blown.
The spell was broken a year ago when Ronaldo made clear his desire for Madrid was greater than his love of the red shirt. That amounted to betrayal on the Stretford End.
Last season at Old Trafford was the equivalent of an out of body experience in the relationship between player and supporter, the latter looking down from the stands on the body of the former with souls disengaged.
How different it was when he stepped out at Old Trafford on that sunny August afternoon almost six years ago. Twenty-nine minutes remained when Sir Alex Ferguson introduced the 18 year-old to Bolton Wanderers and the crowd.
A slender 1-0 advantage became a 4-0 drubbing and the memory of the galactico-cum-lately who he replaced, David Beckham, was erased.
Ronaldo was quintessential United, a beautiful boy brimful of brio with the courage to dare. The step-over quickly became his signature move. It is clear now how that singular stunt carried within it the portents of doom.
One step-over might be seen as furthering the interests of the team. A second is for the most part unnecessary; a third is all about 'me'. That is the problem with Ronaldo. As brilliant as he is, there comes a point when his contribution no longer enhances the team. That is the moment when he becomes less than the sum of his parts.
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