And here come the rumors yet again.

It seems that anytime Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the topic during the transfer window, Manchester United surfaces as the top destination for the reigning Ballon d’Or winner.

And unsurprisingly, some publications are starting the media circus yet again with hints that the superstar might be willing to pay attention to an offer from his former club.

Here are some points that should be clear. Ronaldo loved it at United. He won individual trophies, domestic and even international trophies with the club during his early years. He was undoubtedly the best player in the world during his time with United.

And there has been unrest at Real Madrid in recent years with the player apparently unhappy about contract disputes, some player exits, the coaching staff (mainly Jose Mourinho) and losing to his nemesis Lionel Messi on a number of fronts.

But to imagine that the circumstances and unrest surrounding Ronaldo remains is unbelievable. Especially at this moment in time.

Here are some stats. Madrid is the top team in Spain, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner and Ronaldo has some of the best strike partners in the game.

And despite winning everything there is to win in Spain, Ronaldo still has the potential to break some records with his club. He currently sits in eighth place on Spain’s all-time scoring with 202 goals in 197 matches, a record 1.13 goals per game. He may never catch eternal rival Lionel Messi (who stands at 258 goals in 291 matches), but at his current scoring rate he could finish the year with well over 60 goals in the domestic league. He is unlikely to reach that goal, but he could finish with over 50 which would break another record set recently by Lionel Messi. With a hypothetical 55 goals on the year (lower than his current pace), he would have 231 goals in Spain throwing him into fourth on the all-time list in Spain. He would also become Real Madrid’s second highest goalscorer ever and would be closing in on Raul’s 323 goal record.

He would easily jump into second in Spain’s all-time scoring race and hold Madrid’s scoring record at some point next season. Especially if he sustains the kind of form he is displaying at 29 years of age. He would be 30 at this time next year and could very well be on track to follow Zlatan Ibrahimovic with his best work coming in the early 30s.

So why would he throw those opportunities away for a team that is struggling to stay in the top four in England? Manchester United is on the rise under Louis Van Gaal, but where would Ronaldo fit in? He is obviously too good to ignore, but his arrival would likely mean a major overhaul of the team around him to suit his style. How would that go down in the locker room, especially since one would have to assume that Ronaldo expects to be front and center upon his return as the prodigal son. It simply makes no sense, especially when considering that Van Gaal likes to be the man in control in a way that Jose Mourinho wanted it at Real Madrid. And when Mourinho and Ronaldo started butting heads, it became clear who was on the outs. It would not be a very different situation with Van Gaal.

Of course, there are other matters to consider. What if Ronaldo is reaching his peak at this very moment and the decline is swifter than even can anticipate? Then what happens to United and its attempt at balance. It will be stuck with a severely expensive superstar that it cannot simply bench.

The likelihood of the team actually looking to add Ronaldo and the superstar’s willingness to throw away record-breaking at his current club is simply unrealistic.