Where would Manchester United be this season without Cristiano Ronaldo?The 2021/22 campaign has been one to forget for the Red Devils, but things would have been so much worse without their main man.Ronaldo was the sole reason United reached the knockout stage of the Champions League and his goals in the Premier League have kept the team in the hunt for a top four finish.The 37-year-old scored his second hat-trick of the season on Saturday afternoon in a 3-2 win over Norwich City for Ralf Rangnick's side.United are now above Arsenal in the table and will believe they can catch Tottenham Hotspur in their remaining six games.When you have Ronaldo, anything is possible in football.The ageless forward is still an exceptional player and a true leader of men, as he proved in the tunnel before kick-off on Saturday.Footage of Ronaldo rallying his troops before the match against Norwich has cropped up on social media and unsurprisingly, it's gone viral.Check it out here...
Video: Ronaldo is Man Utd's captain without the armband
He might not wear the armband, but Ronaldo is United's real captain.
Surely it's only a matter of time before he takes up the role at the expense of Harry Maguire, right?
The burden of being captain seems to have weighed heavily on the shoulders of the English defender this season and that's proved very costly for United.
Ronaldo seems to thrive under the same pressure and if you don't believe that, just look at his record as Portugal captain.
The ex-Real Madrid forward led the nation to glory at Euro 2016 and in the inaugural UEFA Nations League.
He's also scored an absurd number of goals on international duty while wearing the armband.
Arsenal LOSE AGAIN! Ronaldo HAT TRICK! Southampton 1-0 Arsenal | Man United 3-2 Norwich
If Erik ten Hag is to be United's next permanent manager, promoting Ronaldo to captain is a decision that has to be considered by the Dutchman.