Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he had no offer from Manchester United before he made his shock move from Real Madrid to Juventus
As reported by The Sun, Cristiano Ronaldo revealed his reason to join Juventus in this summer’s transfer window upon being unveiled by the Bianconeri on Monday. The Portuguese superstar also asserted that there was no offer from Manchester United to sign him from Real Madrid.
Ronaldo departed from Real Madrid after an illustrious nine-year stint that saw him win 15 titles while adding four Ballon d’Or awards to go level with Lionel Messi on five (the joint-most of all time). The 33-year-old also leaves after becoming Los Blancos‘ all-time leading goalscorer with 450 goals.
Leaving Real Madrid as one of their greatest players of all time, if not the best ever, Ronaldo joined Juventus in a shock move this month. But, there were suggestions that former club Manchester United were also interested in signing him.
Some recent reports even claimed that Ronaldo snubbed his former employers before completing his big move from Real Madrid. But, upon being unveiled as the latest Juventus signing on Monday, the 33-year-old revealed his reason for moving to the Allianz Stadium while also adding that Manchester United weren’t even in the fray for him.
“[The standing ovation] was a really stunning moment for me. Being welcomed this way is so rewarding, and it increases your motivation to star a new adventure. It [Juventus] is the best club in Italy, it is an interesting club, with an upstanding manager and coach.”
“So it wasn’t a very difficult decision to take. I prefer to think of me in the present – the present is very clear, I enjoy football, I am still rather young and I have always like challenges in my life. So from Sporting, to Manchester United to Real Madrid, it was a dream, I didn’t really think I would win so many titles individually or at a club.”
In hindsight, not making a move for Ronaldo could be termed as a sensible decision by Manchester United. Ronaldo’s two primary positions – left winger and striker – are already two of the most settled slots at Old Trafford. In fact, the Manchester United attack is eerily left-heavy, with as many as three viable options while Romelu Lukaku is a reliable first-choice striker.
Meanwhile, at Juventus, Ronaldo is likely to slot in as the striker, with current first-choice Gonzalo Higuain heavily linked with a summer exit. The move has thus, been ideal for all parties involved, with Real Madrid making a profit on their investment as well. It will now be interesting to see how Ronaldo fares in the latest phase of his career.
