SUMMARY
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer acknowledged that the decision to return Cristiano Ronaldo to his old team, Manchester United, turned out wrong.
- Ronaldo almost joined Man City, but a call from Sir Alex Ferguson at the last moment made him choose Man Utd instead.
When the renowned soccer team Manchester United decided to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo, an icon in the sport, back in 2021, it rocked the whole sports community. For Ronaldo and Man United supporters alike, though, the conclusion proved to be the worst.
Ronaldo left the Portuguese team under dubious circumstances to join Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia a little over a year later, following a disappointing return to United in August 2021. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer acknowledged that the decision to return Cristiano Ronaldo to his old team, Manchester United, “turned out wrong” while serving as manager.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Pep Guardiola, one call from Alex Ferguson ruined everything pic.twitter.com/ZOm7zSVAwb
— ~ (@mercyl4s) January 19, 2024
However, as per various reports, Ronaldo was initially on his way to Manchester City FC, United’s arch-rivals. The deal was in place for him to join Pep Guardiola’s side but at the last moment a call from Sir Alex Ferguson, one of the legendary soccer managers changed Ronaldo’s decision and he moved to Man Utd instead.
One call destroyed him.just one call https://t.co/BRg9AM6dCc
— jupika (@MrDzulfiqar) January 20, 2024
Soccer fans took to X (formerly Twitter) regarding this scenario where one fan wrote on X, “One Call Destroyed Him.” To this day, many soccer fans around the world wonder what would have happened to Cristiano and his illustrious career if he had joined the tactical manager Pep Guardiola and his Man City side which went on to win the title that very season.
Pep Guardiola opens up on Cristiano Ronaldo’s influence in Saudi Arabia
Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, talked about his views on the Saudi Pro League, which seems to be stealing the show lately by bringing in some elite players from Europe. Guardiola was speaking following Riyad Mahrez’s £30 million transfer to Al-Ahli, a Saudi Pro League team.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said on Saturday that the Saudi Pro League had “completely changed the market” and he expects more and more high-profile players to move there. https://t.co/2rScDqXa1N
— ANews (@anews) July 29, 2023
Guardiola claimed that because Cristiano Ronaldo was the first prominent player to accept a contract with a Saudi Arabian club, he made it easier for other players to relocate to Saudi Arabia. He said, “Saudi Arabia has changed the market. A few months ago when Cristiano (Ronaldo) was the only one to go, no one thought this many top, top extraordinary players would go to play in the Saudi league. I think in the close future it is going to happen more and more,” via the Guardian.
During the 2023–24 season, players including Jordan Henderson, N’Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly, Roberto Firmino, Ruben Neves, and Karim Benzema have already signed with Saudi Pro League teams. This showcases the pull that soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo carries in the sport.
Pep Guardiola has been full of praise for soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo
In a heartfelt homage to Pele, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola listed former Manchester United player Cristiano Ronaldo among the “eternal” soccer talents. The legendary Brazilian died on the evening of December 29, 2022. Soccer fans from all over the world came together to honor the 82-year-old, with touching comments from Casemiro, Antony, and Fred of United.
Pep Guardiola on Cristiano Ronaldo:
”With or without Ronaldo, Real Madrid are a top team, but they’ve lost a lot, 50 or 60 goals. He’s an incredible player, not only for his goals but also his assists at important moments. He’s irreplaceable.” pic.twitter.com/7Xs1hBJCby
— Everything Cristiano 𓃵 (@EverythingCR7_) January 31, 2022
Pep praised Ronaldo and others and said, “Pele, [Diego] Maradona, [Johan] Cruyff, [Lionel] Messi, [Franz] Beckenbauer, Cristiano Ronaldo, these players will be eternal. They have done many things for many years, these types of players make our business, our job, a better place.
In November 2022, Ronaldo left Old Trafford after a contentious interview alongside Piers Morgan. The 37-year-old publicly criticized the team, Erik ten Hag, the Glazers, and a few of his former colleagues who had come out against him during the talk. Since then, he has been content with his new team, Al-Nassr FC in the Saudi Pro League, and life in Saudi Arabia.