Crisitano Ronaldo is one of the best soccer players in the world and he often makes major headlines for his performances on the pitch.

But the controversial Ronaldo is also well-known for making headlines off the pitch and his comments during the last few weeks have stirred the pot.

First, he claimed that he did not agree with some of the transfers made by his club Real Madrid. When his words were manipulated into speculation about a battle between him and club President Florentino Perez, he then recanted and stated that his words were taken out of context.

But it was his ensuing comments that really got people thinking:

"I love Manchester [United]," he said. "Everyone knows that. Manchester is in my heart.

"I left many good friends there. The supporters are amazing and I wish I can come back one day."

Ronaldo, of course, built his star status at the English club before making the switch to Madrid. And this is not the first time he has made such a comment. Last summer, there was rampant speculation that he could make a return to United after making other comments in the same vein.

But then he signed a contract with Madrid and stated that he wanted to retire with the club. At 29, he is in his prime and if he is going to return to England, then it has to be soon.

But would it make sense? Manchester has seemingly stocked up this summer at the forward and midfield positions. Daley Blind, Angel Di Maria, Ander Herrera and Radamel Falcao are not the kinds of purchases a team makes if they do not intend to play such players. Add to that the fact that Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata and Adnan Januzaj are also on the club and United has more than enough players to fill your offensive needs.

Obviously, none of those players are Ronaldo. And it is unlikely any of them will ever get to his renown status. But where would he play?

Assuming that Falcao is the selected number nine of Van Persie (who at 32 is close to his end), that leaves the possibility for two wingers to play alongside him. Ronaldo could slot in on one side and Rooney could be on the other. Of course, the Englishman might not take too well to playing out of position and could actually find himself off of the team.

Di Maria, who would slot in better as a winger instead of Rooney, could also be used in the midfield as part of a 4-3-3 as he did under Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid in 2013-14. But that would likely mean the end of Mata's time with the club. The choice over who the other two midfielders would be is also questionable. Herrera and Blind are not holding midfielders, the team's greatest current need. Without one, Manchester is decidedly vulnerable to attack.

But that is, of course, a digression. Ronaldo coming to Manchester would certainly give the team tremendous firepower. But at what cost? Manchester has already spent a great deal of money (more than ever before in fact) and may find itself in a tight position financially to make another buy. Ronaldo will not be a cheap commodity. He is, when at his best, arguably the most versatile offensive player. If a player like Gareth Bale cost Madrid over $100 million, then there is no doubt that Ronaldo would demand more money on a sale. For a player that will be 30 next year and has been suffering with a chronic knee injury, is it really worth that kind of investment?

It will certainly make headlines and potentially help the team in the short run. But over the long haul, is it worth risking the development of a youngster like Januzaj, whose best years are still ahead of him and would certainly not get much playing time with Ronaldo on the squad? What about the locker room presence?

Rooney is the captain of the team and has stuck with the Red Devils for a great part of his career. If Ronaldo showed up, he would likely lose that eminence on the squad. How would he deal with it? Would it cause instability within the team? There are a lot of questions to ponder for both sides.

More importantly, when Ronaldo says that he wants to return, does he mean as a player? Or could he be contemplating life at Manchester once he has hung up the boots?

Ultimately this is a fun debate, but a fruitless one. Ronaldo's words have lured people into this trap before and has ultimately gone nowhere. This is probably more of the same.

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