‘I believe Ronaldo will return’ – Sporting CP president says Juventus ace will be back

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 26 May 2021 19:13 BST
• 2 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo will return to Sporting CP, according to president Frederico Varandas, who says he is confident that the Juventus star will want to finish his career in Portugal.

Ronaldo’s future is presently uncertain at Juve, who are not certain to be in the Champions League next season and who are struggling financially to cope with his wage burden.

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With that in mind, there has been a suggestion that Ronaldo could leave in the summer.

The player’s mother, Dolores Aveiro, admitted previously that she will try to get him back to Sporting CP, where his professional career began in 2002.

“I’m going to speak to him and try to get him to come back,” she said earlier in May.

Ronaldo to make Sporting return?

Now Varandas has reiterated that desire to see Ronaldo back at Sporting – and he says he is confident he can make it happen.

Speaking to SIC, he said: “I believe that he will come back one day.

“Ronaldo has always supported Sporting. He was one of the first people to send me a message of congratulations for winning the league.”

Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has, however, poured cold water on any speculation that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner will make a rapid return to the Lisbon outfit.

“Cristiano is proud of the title won by Sporting, he has expressed it publicly. But for the moment, his career plans do not go through Portugal,” Mendes said.

Although it is not certain that Ronaldo will leave Juventus in the summer, if he does depart, the teams most closely linked with him are Manchester United, where he made his name as a young player, and Paris Saint-Germain, who are also linked with Barcelona star Lionel Messi.