Cristiano Ronaldo says he was close to joining rivals Manchester City.
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Cristiano Ronaldo says he was close to joining rivals Manchester City.

Cristiano Ronaldo claims he was on the verge of joining Manchester City before deciding to return to Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo claims he was on the verge of joining Manchester City before deciding to return to Manchester United out of “heart.”

This week, the Portuguese forward made headlines for saying on Talk TV that he felt “betrayed” by the team.

He provided more information about his account of events at Old Trafford in the first half of the full interview, which was made public on Wednesday.

He admitted that the decision to join City was quite close.

In August 2021, 11 years after he left the team to join Real Madrid, Ronaldo made his way back to Old Trafford from Juventus.

Cristiano Ronaldo says he was close to joining rivals Manchester City.
Cristiano Ronaldo says he was close to joining rivals Manchester City.

At the time, it was rumoured that City manager Pep Guardiola was interested in signing him, and although Ronaldo confirmed the intrigue, he claimed that he ultimately chose to join United after meeting with his former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

“As you know, my past at Manchester United, and the fact that your heart is beating the same way it did before, makes the difference,” the 37-year-old continued.
Sir Alex Ferguson is also a given.

“I talked to him.
It’s impossible for you to visit Manchester City, he told me.
I respond, “OK, boss.”

Ronaldo criticized the professionalism and attitude of young footballers during the interview, accusing them of “not appreciating” their older and more experienced squad members. Ronaldo will miss Portugal’s friendly against Nigeria on Thursday due to a stomach virus.

READ ALSO: Ronaldo says he feels ‘betrayed’ by Man United and he has no ‘respect’ for Ten Hag.

He said, “Their hunger [is different].”

“I suppose they don’t care as much since everything is easier for them, they don’t suffer, and they have more goods.

“The younger generations are not the same as those in my generation, and I don’t just mean a select handful at Manchester United.

But you can’t hold it against them because it’s a fact of life for the younger generation and the distractions that come with new technologies.

One of the few young players Ronaldo could appreciate was 23-year-old Diogo Dalot, a teammate for both United and Portugal.

Other players at the club mentioned by Ronaldo that he admires are Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro.

I may name Dalot in Manchester United,” he remarked.

“He’s young, but he’s very professional, and I have no doubt that he’ll be around in football for a long time since he’s youthful, clever, and professional.”

Martinez most likely, Casemiro is in his 30s, but I’ll go with Dalot.

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