Manchester City was my preferred destination, Ronaldo
Ronaldo has in a stinging interview revealed that he preferred a move to United rivals, Manchester City until Ferguson’s intervention.
In an interview with Piers Morgan, Cristiano Ronaldo revealed how he spurned Manchester City in the summer of 2021 before signing with Manchester United.
“I followed my heart,” Cristiano Ronaldo exclaimed as he described how Sir Alex Ferguson persuaded him to reject Manchester City and return to Manchester United.
Ronaldo, 37, made his way back to Old Trafford in August 2021 after a 12-year absence by joining Juventus for £20 million.
Only a few days prior to the startling transfer, it seemed as though Ronaldo would join United’s regional rivals after reaching a personal agreement with Manchester City.
Ferguson stepped in on behalf of the Red Devils, and the Portuguese abruptly changed his plans at the last minute.
The illustrious Scot was responsible for bringing a young Ronaldo to United in 2003, and the two remained close even after he left for Real Madrid six years later.
The exact nature of Ferguson’s intervention was unknown until Ronaldo revealed the message he received from his former manager during his no-holds-barred interview with Piers Morgan.
“I followed my heart,” he said of his return to United. “He [Ferguson] said to me, ‘It’s impossible for you to come to Manchester City’, and I said, ‘OK, boss’.”
Given Ronaldo’s hero status with the Red Devils and his decision to join their cross-town rival, the Old Trafford supporters would have been profoundly disappointed.
In his first season with United, the former Sporting Lisbon star grew into one of the game’s best players, and in 2008, after Ferguson’s team had won the Premier League and Champions League double, he took home the first of his five Ballons d’Or.
Ronaldo continued where he left off upon his return to England, scoring 24 goals in 38 games in all competitions, despite the rocky season that resulted in the firing of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the hiring of Ralf Rangnick as his interim replacement.
However, goals and playing time have been considerably harder to get by this season as Ronaldo’s relationship with Erik ten Hag has been severely harmed by off-field disagreements.
Ronaldo has mostly been relegated to the bench of replacements after trying in vain to depart in the summer after United failed to qualify for the Champions League.
Ten Hag benched him for one game and forced him to train alone when he refused to enter the game against Tottenham in October.
Ronaldo has only scored three goals in 16 games across all competitions when he has been playing, which is a far cry from his regular performance in front of goal.
Despite the bright start he made after Ferguson convinced him to return to Old Trafford, Ronaldo’s days as a United player appear numbered after his explosive interview, in which he admitted he does not respect Ten Hag.
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