Real Madrid should never have sold Ronaldo, says former president

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 4 min read

Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon believes Cristiano Ronaldo should never have been sold to Juventus.

With Barca in the middle of a meltdown in 2019/20, Los Blancos took advantage to win La Liga in a functioning yet unspectacular fashion.

Since Ronaldo’s departure, Madrid have lost a cutting edge up top, and although Karim Benzema has flourished since the Portuguese’s exit, his numbers aren’t anywhere close to the goalscoring tallies recorded by his former team-mate.

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Eden Hazard was seen as the perfect replacement for Ronaldo and the latest Galactico, but injuries have ravaged the Belgian’s career in the Spanish capital so far.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, has continued banging in the goals, now with Juventus, and has won two Serie A titles in a row, albeit with further success in the Champions League eluding him and the Bianconeri.

Calderon reckons CR7 is still proving his worth, and that club president Florentino Perez should never have sanctioned his sale.

“That attitude and his natural conditions make him unbeatable,” Calderon told Goal.

Ronaldo at Real Madrid – Honours

Honour	Times won
Ballon d’Or	4
Champions League	4
La Liga	2
Copa del Rey	2
Europen Super Cup	2
Club World Cup	3

“Without a doubt, he is an example for young people who aspire to succeed in the sport.

“The player understood that it [joining Real Madrid] was a great opportunity to advance his career and obtain titles and earn personal recognition.

“He was not wrong, he achieved four Ballons d’Or and four Champions League titles, and set records in terms of goals scored in several seasons. Something within reach of very few people.

“It was a big mistake by the current president to sell him for £99m [€110m] after nine years in the team. It is a pity because he is showing in Italy that he is still one of the best in the world.”

In his first season in Serie A, he scored 21 league goals, followed by 31 in 2019/20.

In four starts so far in 2020/21, he has netted eight times.

Due to the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis, Ronaldo has been linked with a move away from Juventus this summer in order for the Italian side to balance the books.

However, club sporting director Fabio Paratici recently insisted that CR7 was going nowhere.