Throughout the summer transfer window, Cristiano Ronaldo was an ongoing drama as he reportedly tried to find an escape route out of Manchester United.
The theory was that he wanted to be taking part in the Champions League, worried that Lionel Messi threatened his record as all-time goalscorer in the competition. Multiple clubs were linked, there was even talk about a move to Turkey, but ultimately Ronaldo stayed where he was and his task now is to impress Erik ten Hag.
One of the clubs linked most was Atletico Madrid, partly because Jorge Mendes, Ronaldo’s agent, has a working relationship with the Spanish side. Some Atletico supporters weren’t happy, given the player’s past with Real Madrid and some incidents he’d been involved in with them down the years, and made their feelings clear.
Diego Simeone has now been asked about the situation and appeared to dismiss that it was ever a real possibility.
Monday’s edition of AS quotes the manager as saying: “He is an absolute benchmark for Real Madrid, you would not see it…
“You would not see Palermo playing at River; he would not see Riquelme at River, you would not see Ortega at Boca… There are situations that are very clear.”
Simeone went on to add: “I remember that in preseason a fan yelled a great phrase at me: ‘Cholo, be careful, the Champions League is not at all costs’. And I liked it, it’s a very healthy reflection, from the neighbourhood, from the team, from the fan, from the heart.”
