Manchester United fans — and presumably the folks in charge at Old Trafford, as well — desperately want Cristiano Ronaldo to make a triumphant return to the club that signed the Portuguese forward as an 18-year-old and molded him into the superstar player that he is today.
But Jorge Mendes, the agent of the 2014 Ballon d’Or finalist, said this week that he believes Ronaldo would turn down any potential offer to return to Manchester United and, in his opinion, will likely retire at Real Madrid.
Speaking to Globo Esporte, Mendes went on to champion Ronaldo as Real Madrid’s greatest ever No. 7, surpassing the likes of Alfredo Di Stefano and Raul, stating the club should consider retiring the number for good once the 29-year-old retires.“I got to know him when he was 15 years old, from then until now we’ve spoken together on most days. When I’m in Madrid we always meet up. Our relationship is more like a friendship.
“I believe that Cristiano will finish his career at Real Madrid. He’s happy at the club and is still keen to achieve more success in Madrid. Will the club retire his shirt number when he finishes at Madrid? With every respect to the likes of Raul and Di Stefano, no player can compare to Cristiano Ronaldo.
“He’s the best player in history and I’d suggest the best sportsperson of all-time - we’ll never see the likes of Cristiano again. It will be completely impossible.”
Let’s pretend that a Ronaldo-to-United move was really to happen. What would/should it cost United to bring this year’s world’s best player back “home?” £100 million? £125 million? £150 million? Can you even put a price on a player of Ronaldo’s quality?
