There we were, naively thinking we’d make it through a whole summer without seeing a report linking Cristiano Ronaldo with a move away from Real Madrid…
The inevitable has now happened, however, with a report in A Bola, the Portuguese sports newspaper, claiming that Ronaldo has decided his time at Real Madrid is up.
Describing his decision to leave the Bernabeu as “irreversible”, it’s also claimed that Ronaldo – just weeks on from scoring twice in the club’s third Champions League final victory in four years – has made his decision known to Real president, Florentino Perez.
As you might expect, the usual suspects are being linked as possible next destinations for Ronaldo. Former club Manchester United are already being named as potential suitors – despite those reports of a strained relationship with Jose Mourinho. Paris Saint-Germain, another club to have been linked with the 32-year-old in recent seasons, are also said to be in the frame.
In the build up to the Cardiff final against Juventus, Ronaldo spoke of his frustration at how some of his own supporters had jeered him on the rare occasions he’s performed poorly. Despite this, he used the same interview to indicate that he intended to stay at Real until beyond his 40th birthday.
Will it happen? Probably not. But it wouldn’t be summer without you wasting at least a couple of minutes of your time reading about it.
