Cristiano Ronaldo returns to Real Madrid

Suraj Radia

• 14 Dec 2022 15:52 GMT
• 2 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo is back at Real Madrid after leaving Manchester United, with the 37-year-old looking to get his career back on track following Portugal’s exit at the 2022 World Cup.

Ronaldo saw his country knocked out by Morocco in the quarter-finals, ending his last World Cup in disappointment, having only netted one goal in Qatar – a penalty in the opening game against Ghana.

The legendary forward has returned to Madrid having received permission from Real to train at the club’s Valdebebas in order to keep fit while he continues to look for a new team.

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Ronaldo has so far struggled to attract the attention of any major European sides after his contract was terminated by United and there is speculation that the Portuguese international has developed tension with his agent, Jorge Mendes.

Relationship between Mendes and Ronaldo ‘eroded’

According to Spanish outlet AS, Ronaldo’s relationship with Mendes has ‘eroded’ due to the uncertainty surrounding his future, with nothing concrete in the works ahead of the resumption of domestic football.

The pair have had previous difficulties in their relationship, having fallen out when Ronaldo left Juventus last summer and Mendes has struggled to find a new team for his client so far, largely due to the player’s high wage demands and declining form as he approaches his 38th birthday.

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Ronaldo has received an offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr which could see him earn around €200m across three years, however he has also since been approached by Antero Henrique, the head of the Qatar Stars League to play his trade in their country.

AS claims those offers come from outside Mendes’ circles and suggest ‘the ears of Ronaldo are no longer only listening to his agent’, with his future ‘up in the air’ due to their ‘rocky spell.’

Ronaldo has so far resisted the temptation to leave Europe for a final pay day in the Middle East, insisting ‘now is not the time’ to make such a move but he may find himself with few options going forward.

Teams such as Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are believed to have already ruled out a move for Ronaldo, while there is no chance Real will offer the player a deal despite him training at the club's facilities privately.