The Glazer family may not enjoy universal support at Manchester United, but they are proving to be pretty popular on the other side of the Atlantic.
Alongside their commitments in England, tangible success is also being chased down with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
They delivered on expectations in 2021, with a calculated gamble on the signing of one Tom Brady delivering an immediate reward. The challenge facing the Bucs now is to go back-to-back and successfully defend the ultimate prize in NFL circles.
Super Bowl betting odds at Paddy Power have the Florida-based outfit at 11/2 to replicate their triumph from 12 months ago and hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy aloft once more.
There are several hurdles for them to overcome before reaching that point, but they have an all-time great leading the charge.
They could not wish for a more talismanic presence at the heart of trophy-chasing plans, with Brady in the process of pursuing an eighth Super Bowl ring.
Records continue to tumble around the legendary quarterback, with an evergreen performer perfecting a Benjamin Button act.
The Glazers are clearly fond of putting their trust in pedigree over potential, with vast experience being embraced in both of their sporting ventures.
After seeing Brady defy logic with his exploits on an American football field, a decision to snap up Cristiano Ronaldo and bring him back to English football was taken during the summer of 2021.
He is another that slots seamlessly into the veteran superstar category.
Will United deliver?
The iconic Portuguese forward caused much fanfare upon walking through the doors at Old Trafford and opening up a second spell with the Red Devils. His mere presence was expected to make United more competitive in 2021-22.
Ronaldo has, to a degree, delivered on his part of that agreement, with one of the finest goalscorers to have ever played the game continuing to terrorise opposition defences as he makes the hardest job in football look easy.
Brady has done likewise with the Bucs. NFL franchises are built around the man under centre, with a reliable option required in order to move the ball down the field and put points on the board.
United wanted Ronaldo to fill a similar role, but the points have not been flowing as freely as they had hoped.
Another Premier League title has seemingly slipped out of reach, with neighbours at the Etihad Stadium already placing one hand on that crown, and there are no guarantees of a top-four finish being secured.
Major silverware does remain up for grabs in the Champions League and FA Cup, but greater consistency will be required in order to get anywhere near either of those prizes.
Ronaldo may well end up being the man to drag Ralf Rangnick’s side kicking and screaming over the line, bringing a five-year wait for silverware to a close in the process, but he cannot be a one-man-band.
Brady has not been that for the Bucs and the Glazers must show that they are prepared to treat both of their GOATs equally.
Photo credit: 090915 Old Trafford 16” (CC BY-ND 2.0) by joevare
