Tag: Cristiano Ronaldo

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Manchester United submit official bid for Cristiano Ronaldo

News broke earlier on Friday that the Red Devils had hijacked Manchester City’s move for the 36-year-old, leapfrogging their local rivals in the race for his signature as City ended their interest.

Talks between Man United and Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes only began on Thursday evening, while a series of messages from the Portuguese forward’s former Old Trafford teammates helped to sway him towards a move back to the red half of Manchester.

The 36-year-old had looked destined to join United’s local rivals Manchester City in a £25m deal, after telling current club Juventus that he wants to leave before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

However, in a remarkable turn of events Man City have since pulled out of the running to sign Ronaldo, with United now the clear front-runners for his signature.

Talks between the two parties only began on Thursday night, but they have advanced quickly and ESPN reports that a series of WhatsApp messages between Ronaldo and a number of his former teammates at Old Trafford helped to convince him to return.

The report claims that Ronaldo was warned that his Manchester United legacy and the esteem in which he is held by the club’s fans would be irrevocably damaged if he joined their cross-town rivals.

A contract proposal has also been sent to Mendes, with Man United offering Ronaldo a two-year deal until June 2023.

While none of the ex-teammates have been named, now-Derby County boss Wayne Rooney hinted on Thursday that Ronaldo joining Man City would damage his reputation as a Man United legend.

The Red Devils are now confident of pulling off a sensational return for the forward on a two-year deal for the transfer window closes on Tuesday.

Ronaldo made 292 appearances for Man United between 2003 and 2009, scoring 118 goals and helping the club to three Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League crown.

With the five-time Ballon d’Or winner now pushing for a return, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reports that Man United have submitted a formal offer of €25m (£21.4m) plus add-ons to Juventus, who are understood to be holding out for a fee of around £25m.

Since leaving for Madrid, the prolific Portuguese attacker has netted 551 times at club level, while Man United’s leading scorer in the same timeframe is Rooney with 156

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Cristiano Ronaldo arrival could see Raheem Sterling leave Manchester City

Cristiano Ronaldo’s proposed move to Manchester City could see Raheem Sterling leave the Etihad Stadium, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Portugal international is believed to be closing in on a move to the Citizens, although the Premier League champions are yet to agree a transfer fee with Juventus.

According to Romano, Man City will need to balance the books if Ronaldo arrives, and Sterling could potentially leave the club ‘if the right bid is made’ before the end of the transfer window.

The England international, who has less than two years left to run on his contract at the Etihad Stadium, has scored 115 goals and registered 87 assists in 294 appearances for the Citizens in all competitions.

Sterling was again an important player for the club last term, contributing 14 goals and 12 assists in 49 outings, but he struggled to show his best form for periods of the campaign.

The 26-year-old, who is believed to have rejected the chance to join Tottenham Hotspur this summer, came off the bench to score in Man City’s 5-0 win over Norwich City last weekend

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Manchester City ‘must pay at least £24m for Cristiano Ronaldo

Soccer Football - Italy - Serie A - Udinese v Juventus - Dacia Arena, Udine, Italy - August 22, 2021 Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo scores a goal that is later disallowed after a VAR review REUTERS/Massimo Pinca

Juventus have reportedly made it clear to Manchester City that Cristiano Ronaldo will not be allowed to leave Turin this summer unless the Old Lady receive a transfer fee in the region of €28m (£24m).

The Citizens have already allegedly agreed personal terms with Ronaldo, who is also believed to have spoken with the English club’s head coach Pep Guardiola on Thursday morning.

The former Manchester United attacker, who has less than one year left on his contract in Turin, is said to be determined to force a move to the Premier League champions.

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes is working to complete the deal, but Juventus want a transfer fee of €28m (£24m) for the Portugal international.

Romano claims that Man City will decide ‘soon’ whether to submit the offer, as Guardiola’s side were hopeful of being able to sign the former Sporting Lisbon youngster on a free transfer.

The Citizens have switched their attention to Ronaldo after missing out on a deal for Harry Kane, who will remain Tottenham Hotspur beyond the end of the summer transfer window.

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Manchester City have not ruled out signing Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester City have supposedly not ruled out the prospect of signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus in the coming days.

Despite Juve chiefs’ insistence that Ronaldo is going nowhere this summer, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is still being heavily linked with an exit after entering the final 12 months of his Turin deal.

With Harry Kane confirming that he is set to stay at Tottenham Hotspur for the 2021-22 season, City have been tipped to turn their attention to Ronaldo, who is supposedly prepared to push for a move to the Etihad.

While Pep Guardiola is thought to retain faith in current number nine Gabriel Jesus, ESPN claims that the Premier League champions have not ruled out the idea of welcoming Ronaldo to the blue side of Manchester.

However, the report adds that the 36-year-old’s mammoth wages could scupper a move, while Juve are thought to be demanding a fee of €30m (£25.7m) for his sale, whereas City do not want to dip into their war chest.

Ronaldo started on the bench during Juventus’ Serie A opener with Udinese last weekend, although both Pavel Nedved and Massimiliano Allegri played down the decision as a mutually agreed tactical one

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WEEKEND ROUND-UP: Ronaldo and Bale catch the eye but neither Juventus nor Real Madrid manage a win

Soccer Football - Italy - Serie A - Udinese v Juventus - Dacia Arena, Udine, Italy - August 22, 2021 Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo scores a goal that is later disallowed after a VAR review REUTERS/Massimo Pinca

Former team-mates Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo made headlines on Sunday in contrasting fashion, but their respective clubs of Real Madrid and Juventus were held to disappointing draws.

The duo combined to help the Bernabeu outfit win four Champions League titles during a glittering era of success for the LaLiga side and once again were the talk of Europe this weekend.

Welsh international Bale scored his first Madrid goal in two years, having enjoyed a loan spell at old side Tottenham last season, but Carlo Ancelotti’s men had to settle for a point at Levante.

Roger Marti and Jose Campana struck after the break to turn the game on its head and when Rober Pier made it 3-2 with 11 minutes left, the hosts looked on course for a memorable triumph but substitute Vinicius Junior added to his earlier equaliser with another to clinch a 3-3 draw.

Over in Italy, Ronaldo made headlines before a ball had been kicked at Udinese after he was only named among the substitutes.

Sky in Italy reported the five-time Ballon d’Or winner had asked not to start with the Portuguese ace linked with a move away from Turin this summer due to only one year being left on his contract.

Early goals from Paulo Dybala and Juan Cuadrado put the visitors on their way to three points without Ronaldo and while he was introduced on the hour mark, Udinese were able to mount an excellent second-half comeback.

Roberto Pereyra, formerly of Watford, reduced the deficit from the penalty spot before another ex-Hornets man in Gerard Deulofeu earned the hosts a share of the spoils with the equaliser with seven minutes left.

Elsewhere in Serie A, Tammy Abraham registered two assists as Jose Mourinho got off to a winning start as Roma manager with a 3-1 triumph over Fiorentina

Napoli also got off the mark on the opening weekend but survived playing the majority of their game against newly-promoted Venezia with 10 men after Victor Osimhen had seen red in the 23rd-minute. Goals by Lorenzo Insigne and Eljif Elmas earned all three points.

Bologna edged out new boys Salernitana in a five-goal thriller where Marko Arnautovic was on target for the victors.

Prior to Madrid dropping points in LaLiga, reigning champions Atletico had started the defence of their title with a trademark 1-0 win over Elche.

Angel Correa grabbed the only goal of the contest while Mikel Oyarzabel helped Real Sociedad see off Rayo Vallecano by the same score.

There was drama aplenty in Ligue 1 too where Nice’s match with Marseille was abandoned after the home fans stormed onto the pitch midway through the second half

Kasper Dolberg had put the hosts ahead in the 49th minute but a fiery encounter where seven yellow cards were handed out spilled over late on Allianz Riviera.

After Marseille’s Dimitri Payet responded to a bottle being thrown at him by chucking it back into the crowd, fans of Nice entered the pitch and both sets of players were taken off after a coming together.

While Nice returned to the field of play to resume the game, the visitors had made the decision to leave with the referee forced to abandon the fixture.

Moussa Dembele struck a brace for Lyon but they were held to a 3-3 draw by Clermont and Metz, Bordeaux and Strasbourg could only draw at home to Reims, Angers and Troyes respectively while Montpellier saw off Lorient 3-1.

Bayern Munich claimed a first win of the new Bundesliga season thanks to Serge Gnabry’s brace against Cologne.

Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring for Julian Nagelsmann’s side before Gnabry doubled their advantage, but the visitors hit back through Anthony Modeste and Mark Uth.

It was left to ex-Arsenal winger Gnabry to secure a maiden league win for the new manager in charge when he drilled home with 19 minutes left in Munich.

Hoffenheim and Union Berlin also played out an entertaining match on Sunday with the spoils shared after a 2-2 draw.

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Carlo Ancelotti rules out Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid return

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that he has “never considered” bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back to the Bernabeu.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s next career move remains the subject of much speculation, with his existing deal at Juventus due to expire in 2022 amid links with Los Blancos and Manchester United.

Ronaldo recently took to social media to lash out at the ‘disrespectful’ coverage of his future, and Ancelotti has also weighed in on the saga with a post on Twitter.

The 62-year-old wrote on Tuesday: “Cristiano is a Real Madrid legend and he has all my love and respect. I have never considered signing him. We look forward.#HalaMadrid.”

Manchester City are also rumoured to have been offered the chance to sign the Portuguese attacker, but Pep Guardiola’s side have retained their focus on a move for Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane.

Ronaldo found the back of the net five times at Euro 2020 and enters the 2021-22 campaign with a Capocannoniere to defend following his 29-goal haul in Serie A last term.

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Paris Saint-Germain want to sign Cristiano Ronaldo next summer to play alongside Lionel Messi

Paris Saint-Germain will reportedly move for Cristiano Ronaldo next summer, with the French giants desperate to pair the Portugal international with Lionel Messi at Parc des Princes.

Messi completed a move to the French capital on a free transfer earlier this week, with Barcelona unable to sign the Argentine to a new deal due to their financial problems.

According to AS, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is now planning to sign Ronaldo, who could be a direct replacement for Kylian Mbappe in Paris.

Mbappe’s contract with Mauricio Pochettino’s side is due to expire next June, and Real Madrid are said to be at the head of the queue for the France international.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, will be out of contract with Juventus at the end of next season, with the former Sporting Lisbon youngster potentially becoming available on a free transfer.

The report claims that the 36-year-old’s agent Jorge Mendes has already been in discussions with PSG over a two-year contract at the club.

Ronaldo was strongly linked with a move away from Juventus earlier this summer but now looks set to spend one more season in Turin before seeking pastures new.

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CRISTIANO RONALDO WINS EURO 2020 GOLDEN BOOT

Cristiano Ronaldo won the Golden Boot at Euro 2020 on Sunday, to continue a tournament of records for the Portugal captain.

His Golden Boot was made official after Italy beat England in a penalty shootout to win the Euro on Sunday night at Wembley.

Ronaldo, 36, ended on five goals for Portugal, the same number as Czech Republic striker Patrik Schick, with Ronaldo’s one assist at the tournament enough to crown him the Golden Boot winner due to the criteria by which UEFA ranks the contenders. UEFA uses assists as a tiebreaker, then fewest minutes played and then, finally, goals scored in qualifying if necessary to declare an outright winner.

In addition to ending as the tournament’s leading scorer, the Juventus forward claimed a string of other records. He netted twice in Portugal’s 3-0 win over Hungary to become the all-time men’s leading scorer at the European Championship, as he surpassed Michel Platini’s 11 with France before he eventually ended on 14 goals in total.

Three of Ronaldo’s five goals came from the penalty spot. His two late spot kicks put the gloss on Portugal’s opening win against Hungary, before another two sealed a 2-2 draw with France that ensured the defending champions progressed to the knockout phase. Between those was a stunning effort in the 4-2 loss against Germany in which he sprinted the length of the pitch to round off a rapid counter-attack.

Ronaldo also featured in a record fifth European Championship — no other man has managed more — while also tying the men’s record for most international goals, on 109 with Iran’s Ali Daei.

Portugal, who won Euro 2016 in France, saw their trophy defence end in the round-of-16 stage following a 1-0 defeat to Belgium.

Meanwhile, the tournament finished with 11 own goals, which meant Euro 2020 easily surpassed the total number of own goals scored at every other European Championship combined, with just nine own goals scored across the 15 previous tournaments.

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RONALDO EQUALS INTERNATIONAL GOAL RECORD IN 2-2 DRAW AGAINST FRANCE

Cristiano Ronaldo struck a brace of penalties to equal Ali Daei’s record of international goals and earn Portugal a 2-2 draw with France which booked them a place in the knockout phase of Euro 2020.

The Juventus forward scored from the spot in each half to ensure the current holders remain in the competition following a thrilling night of Group F action.

It was Ronaldo’s old club-colleague at Real Madrid, Karim Benzema, who had put Portugal on the verge of exiting the tournament before referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz awarded another penalty in Budapest.

With Germany only able to draw with Hungary in Munich, France were able to top the ‘group of death’ with a tally of five points following a back and forth encounter at the Puskas Arena.

Next up for the world champions is Switzerland while Portugal will travel to Seville to take on Belgium in a mouth-watering last-16 clash.

After two early efforts from Ronaldo were sandwiched between Kylian Mbappe being denied by Rui Patricio, Fernando Santos’ side were given the chance to take the lead in the 27th minute.

France captain Hugo Lloris was penalised for catching Danilo Pereira with a punch from a cross and after the defender was able to leave the pitch on his feet, it was over to the Portugal captain.

Ronaldo made no mistake, smashing home his 108th international goal to briefly put the European Championship holders top of Group F in the repeat of the 2016 final.

It was shortlived with Paul Pogba central to France winning their own spot-kick on the verge of half-time when his pass into Mbappe saw Nelson Semedo drawn into bringing down the Paris St Germain attacker.

Benzema took responsibility and found the net in the second minute of stoppage time for his first international goal in almost six years after he was handed a surprise recall following a lengthy absence ahead of the tournament.

And when Benzema collected another wonderful Pogba pass in the 47th minute and slotted beyond Patricio, Portugal were suddenly heading out with VAR able to overturn the initial decision to rule out the goal for offside.

Ronaldo, as he often does, had the final say with the talisman winning his country a second spot-kick when his cross hit the arm of Jules Kounde.

Ronaldo again sent Lloris the wrong way to tie level with Iran great Daei’s record of 109 international goals.

There was no further drama with Patricio producing a crucial double save with 23 minutes left, firstly tipping Pogba’s 25-yard curler onto the post before he saved Antoine Griezmann’s follow-up effort from inside the area.

After news filtered through that Germany had equalised against Hungary, it meant France and Portugal could slightly breathe easier with both all but confirmed of a place in the knockout stage.

The full-time whistle followed which meant Switzerland awaited France in Bucharest on Monday while Portugal faced Belgium a day earlier.

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COCA-COLA LOSE $4 BILLION IN MARKET VALUE AFTER CRISTIANO RONALDO ADVISED THAT PEOPLE TAKE WATER INSTEAD

The soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s gesture at a Euro 2020 press conference on Monday wiped $4 billion off Coca-Cola’s market value.

Ronaldo, sat beside Portugal manager Fernando Santos ahead of his team’s match against Hungary, irritably set aside two bottles of Coke, then picked up a bottle of water and said, “Água!” – the Portuguese word for water.

Coca-Cola’s shares, which had opened at about $56.17, had fallen by 1.6%, to $55.22, by the end of the press conference. Its market value dropped by $4 billion, to $238 billion from $242 billion. The soft-drink manufacturer’s shares continued to slide on Tuesday, falling by 0.3%.

The stock price of one of the largest bottlers of the drink, Coca-Cola Bottling, fell by 4% on Monday. It’s down by 8% in the past week.

Coca-Cola, an official sponsor of the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, reportedly said in a statement that “everyone is entitled to their drink preferences” and has differing “tastes and needs.”

A Euro 2020 spokesperson said: “Players are offered water, alongside Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, on arrival at our press conference.”

Ronaldo has previously expressed disapproval of Coca-Cola and other unhealthy foods and beverages. His fitness routine is said to involve eating six meals and taking five naps in a typical day.

He has said he gets irritated with his son Cristiano Jr., who likes to drink the soda.