“Difficult to choose” – Gerard Pique names ‘best version’ of Cristiano Ronaldo after comparing Manchester United and Real Madrid spells

Barcelona defender Gerard Pique believes Real Madrid's version of Cristiano Ronaldo was a better player compared to his first spell at Manchester United. The Spanish defender was teammates with Ronaldo during his first stint at Old Trafford where they lifted the 2008 Champions League title.

Pique stated that Ronaldo was a much more important player for Los Blancos compared to the Red Devils. The Portuguese forward also won a lot more trophies in Spain compared to his time at Manchester United.

Speaking to Gary Neville on the YouTube channel The Overlap, Pique stated:

“I think that in Manchester, he played more as a winger, he was focused on the show, the spectacular. At Madrid he started to play as a striker, he was a finisher, he scored so many goals and he was so important for the success of Real Madrid winning the UCL. Difficult to choose but maybe I'd say the Madrid one.”

Cristiano Ronaldo had a stellar career at the Santiago Bernabeu since his £80 million move from Manchester United in the summer of 2009. The Portuguese captain left the club in 2018 as Real Madrid's record goalscorer. Ronaldo managed to score an incredible 450 goals in 438 appearances across all competitions.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner guided Los Blancos to two La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies. Three of those wins came in consecutive years from 2016 to 2018.

Ronaldo, however, first caught the eye of the footballing world at Manchester United. He was instrumental under Sir Alex Ferguson and helped the Red Devils win three Premier League titles. Ronaldo also lifted the first of his five Ballon d'Or awards whilst playing for United in 2008.

The 37-year-old forward returned to Old Trafford in the summer of 2021 after a three-season stint at Juventus.

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Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked with a move to Real Madrid

According to the Mirror, Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked with a move back to Real Madrid, four years after leaving Spain to join Juventus.

According to the aforementioned source, Cristiano Ronaldo's future at United is unclear, with Erik ten Hag coming in as the new manager in the summer. The forward could see his game time dwindle at Old Trafford as Ten Hag looks to rebuild the entire squad following a difficult season.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, are keen to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back has his return would mean guaranteed goals. Despite being 37 years old, the forward is still Manchester United's leading goalscorer this season, having scored 24 times in 37 appearances across competitions.