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European champions Real Madrid have no intention of bringing their all-time leading goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo back to the Santiago Bernabeu, according to a report in Marca.
On Wednesday (July 20), some reports claimed that meetings were held between the wantaway Manchester United star and Real Madrid president Florentino Perez. According to Marca, however, no such meetings have taken place.
Real Madrid reportedly have no intention of changing their roadmap, which practically rules out Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to the Bernabeu. Los Blancos are currently looking to offload players they do not need, after which they could enter the market again for reinforcements. Ronaldo, however, is not a name they are contemplating at the moment.
The superstar forward, who will turn 38 in February, spent nine years in the Spanish capital, scoring 451 goals for the Merengues in 438 games in all competitions. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner helped the club to four Champions League trophies and two La Liga titles, amongst other honors.
Manchester United ace Ronaldo is reportedly on the lookout for a new club, specifically one that will appear in the Champions League next season. The Portuguese, who is the leading scorer in the history of the competition (140 goals in 183 appearances), wishes to add to his 15-goal lead over second-leading scorer Lionel Messi.
Although Manchester United missed out on a top-four finish last season, Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed a decent campaign at the individual level. The 37-year-old scored 24 goals in 38 matches across competitions for the Red Devils, emerging as their leading scorer.
Real Madrid do not have room for Cristiano Ronaldo
Since Ronaldo’s departure to Juventus in 2018, Karim Benzema has stepped up to become the club’s undisputed talisman. Last season, he enjoyed the best-ever campaign of his professional career, scoring 44 goals and providing 15 assists in 46 games across competitions. His exploits fired Real Madrid to their first Champions League-La Liga double since the 2016-17 season.
Since Cristiano Ronaldo currently operates as a centre-forward, bringing him back to Madrid would put him directly up against Benzema. Given the form the Frenchman is in, Ronaldo could have had a hard time getting regular minutes at the Bernabeu.
Madrid’s wing areas are also quite stacked, with Eden Hazard, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Asensio all emerging as younger and more versatile alternatives to the legendary forward.
