Why Ronaldo could make a shock move to Barcelona
Karan Tejwani
- 5 Jul 2022 02:29 CDT
- 3 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo has made his desire to leave Manchester United clear, and he could be up for a shock move to Barcelona, the rivals of his former club, Real Madrid.
Last weekend, the Portuguese star said he wished to leave and spend the last few years of his career at a club where he can compete for trophies, namely the Champions League.
He also missed the first day of pre-season training on Monday, citing family reasons for his absence, and was spotted at the Portuguese national team’s training centre in Lisbon.
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There have been a few clubs linked with a move for him, namely Bayern Munich and Premier League rivals Chelsea, but through his agent, he may be set up for a transfer to Barcelona.
Ronaldo offered to Barcelona by Mendes
According to the media in Spain, it’s claimed that Ronaldo has been offered to the Catalan club through his agent, Jorge Mendes, who had dinner with Barcelona President Joan Laporta on Monday evening.
It’s said that Laporta tried to sign Ronaldo last year, but the club’s dire financial situation prevented any such from move from happening, however, something could happen this year.
The club have activated two financial levers to help them end the previous financial year with a positive balance as well as give them more funds for the summer transfer window.
The Blaugrana are keen to improve their attacking line and are open to the option of signing the likes of Raphinha from Leeds United and their primary target, Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski.
1) Team first, individuals second.
Despite Cristiano Ronaldo being a winger, Jose Mourinho started him at the 9 position in the 2011 Copa del Rey final against Barcelona.
Why? "It was better for the team."
The result?
Ronaldo scored the game winning goal in extra time. pic.twitter.com/XkAobrFAdq— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) November 3, 2020
Mendes has been working closely with Barcelona on several transfers since the return of Laporta as President, and other than Ronaldo, they’ve also been discussing the future of Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leao and Ruben Neves.
Should Ronaldo make the move to Barcelona, it would be one of the most surprising – and controversial – transfers ever, considering the Portuguese star’s long history with their rivals, Real Madrid.
Ronaldo played for Real Madrid between 2009 and 2018 and is their greatest-ever goalscorer, netting 450 goals in 438 appearances for the club and winning four Champions League titles.
He has also scored 20 goals against Barcelona throughout his career for the various clubs he has represented against them, so he has a strong history against the Blaugrana as well.
