“It’s pretty cool, to be fair!” - Cristiano Ronaldo among athletes with secret website to buy merchandise says ex-Manchester United star

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has revealed interesting details about Nike's sponsorship of players, including Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portugal captain signed an extremely lucrative lifetime deal with the company back in 2016 which was reported to be worth £1 billion. Cristiano Ronaldo has worn more than 70 different pairs of Nike shoes over the course of his career.

Foster claimed that the former Real Madrid superstar, along with others, have access to a secret website where they can order merchandise to their heart's content.

Foster, who was sponsored by Nike during his playing career, said about how things worked before (via Sport Bible):

"You all get given a rep. Normally, it's somebody that would look after the football club, so that one guy would come in once every month, or when there's new releases."

Speaking about the new perks, the former Manchester United shot-stopper added:

"It's all changed now though. There is a secret website for Nike athletes, where they will have a login and password. They can go on and basically just order what they want. They've all got an account which will be credited with a load of money and they just get to dig in. It's pretty cool, to be fair."

Cristiano Ronaldo has been in excellent goalscoring form for Saudi outfit Al-Nassr this season. The former Manchester United superstar has scored 24 goals and provided 11 assists in 25 appearances across competitions this term.

Manchester United eyeing striker Erik ten Hag wanted as Cristiano Ronaldo replacement

Cristiano Ronaldo's exit from Manchester United took the spotlight in November 2022. The 38-year-old veteran had a massive fallout with manager Erik ten Hag after featuring in an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, where he hit out at the club's hierarchy and management.

Following his departure, as the Dutch manager was searching for Cristiano Ronaldo's replacement, reports suggested the Red Devils were interested in Bayern Munich's Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.

However, the Cameroon international signed a contract extension last summer and remained at the club. His deal is set to expire at the end of the season and Manchester United have been linked with the forward once again.

According to the Daily Express, Choupo-Moting is looking for potential suitors following Harry Kane's arrival at the Allianz Arena, and United could be a possible destination.

The German-born footballer has started only three of his 14 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern Munich this season.