Bayern boss Nagelsmann's hilarious response to prospect of lining up against Ronaldo
FT Desk
- 21 Aug 2022 15:50 BST
- 3 min read
Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann is apparently not losing any sleep over the prospect of facing Cristiano Ronaldo in the Bundesliga.
Ronaldo, 37, has been linked with a move to Borussia Dortmund, who are in need of reinforcement up front this season.
The club lost Erling Haaland to Manchester City at the start of the summer and the Norwegian's replacement Sebastien Haller is set for an extended spell on the sidelines after being diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Dortmund would be able to supply Ronaldo with the Champions League football he will be missing this year with Manchester United, and after seeing offers by agent Jorge Mendes rebuffed by several elite European clubs they may be one of his final options to move away in the current window.
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The ex-Real Madrid and Juventus star would certainly bring a new dimension to clashes between BVB and their rivals Bayern, but Nagelsmann is not troubled by that possibility.
"To be honest, I don't care if Cristiano goes to Borussia!" the coach fired to reporters.
"Whether he goes there or not, he doesn't matter to me. The only thing I know is that he has a contract with United. I've already learned not to talk about players who aren't mine.
"He's not the youngest anymore and that means you spend a lot of money. I think many clubs would like to have him, but 15 clubs in Germany couldn't afford his annual salary. And I don't see him earning around €500,000 per year – I simply cannot imagine it."
"Everyone knows that he is a great player, capable of scoring many goals. And, if you involve him, you will sell many shirts."
Watzke plays down Ronaldo links
Judging by Dortmund CEO Hans Joachim Watzke's recent comments, though, we are unlikely to see Ronaldo don their yellow shirt any time soon.
"I love him as a player, it's certainly a charming idea. To see Cristiano Ronaldo play at Signal Iduna Park," Watzke said.
"But there is no contact at all between the parties involved. So from now on, you should stop talking about it."
Dortmund have started the 2022-23 Bundesliga campaign with two wins and a defeat, the latter of which came in thrilling circumstances on Saturday as Werder Bremen hit twice in injury time to snatch a 3-2 victory at Signal Iduna Park.
