The 16 Champions League clubs and whether they would sign Ronaldo

Karan Tejwani

14 Nov 2022 08:30 GMT
4 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo, Champions League — © ProShots

Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest interview with Piers Morgan will not go down well at Manchester United, as he claimed he felt betrayed by the English side.

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The Portuguese attacker has wanted to leave Manchester United for a while and said he felt disrespected by new manager Erik ten Hag in the interview.

There has always been a keenness to play in the Champions League for Ronaldo, but a move to a club in the competition has been tough to facilitate.

READ: What is Piers Morgan’s love-in with Cristiano Ronaldo?

Now, with Ronaldo’s Manchester United career seemingly over, will any of the remaining 16 Champions League clubs take him on in the January transfer window?

Is Champions League football possible for Ronaldo?

Ronaldo’s most realistic option for Champions League football is Chelsea: they wanted him in the summer, Todd Boehly is a fan, however, new manager Graham Potter may not be able to fit him in the side.

Paris Saint-Germain have the financial capability to pull off a deal but they already have enough attacking talent and don’t need Ronaldo to add to it.

READ: What the hell is Cristiano Ronaldo doing?

Real Madrid can make it happen too, but Florentino Perez agreed to his sale in 2018 and will not want to bring Ronaldo back as he’s looking for a younger approach.

Napoli were considered to be an option in the summer but judging by how they play and where they are both domestically and in Europe, it seems like a needless deal to make midway through the campaign.

Manchester City and Liverpool have two set squads, managers with styles that don’t need Ronaldo and the player can’t afford to tarnish his Manchester United legacy even further.

The same goes for Porto and Benfica – neither of whom will likely be able to meet his demands – and probably won’t want to sign him given his Sporting past.

Milan and Inter have financial boundaries making a return unlikely – the former are building a fine, young team – while Juventus have already had the Ronaldo experience once before and it didn’t work out well.

Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich have both previously ruled out a move for Ronaldo citing financial difficulties, and once again, his age and attitude doesn’t work in their favour.

"I feel betrayed."

EXCLUSIVE: Cristiano Ronaldo tells Piers Morgan he feels like he's being forced out of Manchester United in an explosive interview.

90 Minutes with Ronaldo. Wednesday and Thursday at 8pm on TalkTV.@cristiano | @piersmorgan | @TalkTV | #PMU pic.twitter.com/nqp4mcXHB0

— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) November 13, 2022

Finally, Eintracht Frankfurt and Club Brugge are simply not options for the respective clubs or Ronaldo – nothing works for any of the parties involved.

To put is briefly, bar Chelsea, who have a small chance themselves, Champions League football is an improbability for Ronaldo in the near future.