Cristiano Ronaldo chose Manchester United over City after Sir Alex Ferguson chat
Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed he was close to joining Manchester City but followed his “heart” by rejoining Manchester United instead.
Ronaldo, who is currently on World Cup duty in Qatar with Portugal, also said other clubs were interested in signing him but he followed "his heart".
In his explosive Talk TV interview, the Portugal forward expanded on Sir Alex Ferguson’s advice to him to snub City and return to Old Trafford.
“Well, honestly, it was close,” he said. “But as you know, my history in Manchester United, your heart, you’re feeling the way that you did before, makes the difference. And of course, as well, Sir Alex Ferguson.
“I think it was the key. It was the difference in that moment, but I cannot be loyal if I will, I wouldn’t say that Manchester City wasn’t close.
“But I think, I did (make) a conscious decision. I don’t regret at some point. And as you mentioned before, Sir Alex Ferguson was the key.
“I spoke with him. He said to me ‘it’s impossible for you to come to Manchester City’. And I say ‘OK, boss’.
“So I took the decisions and I repeat, I was with conscience that it was a good decision.”
Ronaldo’s return has since turned sour and in previous excerpts of the interview, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner said he did not respect manager Erik ten Hag.
He claimed a number of individuals at United were trying to force him out of the club and that felt "betrayed."
The 37-year-old had also criticised the club’s owners and the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as interim boss after the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Ronaldo said that he never really felt like former manager Ralf Rangnick was "the boss" at United, admitting that he had never heard of him before.
When asked if he felt that Rangnick and his coaching team knew what they were doing, he added: "No, they [did not]. They knew the club very well.
"But they [did not] know the main dimension of the club inside, the history of the club. Which, for me, surprised me even more.
"When you sack Ole Solskjaer, you should bring a top manager, not a sports director."
Ronaldo also hit out at the younger players of this generation of footballers, saying their "mentality is not the same".
"The hunger. I think they have more things more easily. They don’t suffer", he said.
"The new generation and the new technologies, they distract them. But they are not the same [in the way] that they listen but this is why we have two ears, as you listen from one side and they go away from another side.
Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, went onto discuss the tragic death of his newborn son, who passed away in April 2022.
His partner, Georgina Rodriguez, was due to give birth to twins, however, her and Ronaldo’s son, Angel, sadly passed away during childbirth.
“Piers, probably the worst moment that I passed through my life, since my father died", he said in the interview.
“You know, when you have a kid you expect that everything will be normal, and you have that problem, it’s… it’s hard, you know, as human being that I am."
He continued to say: "Georgina, we had quite difficult moments because we don’t understand why it happened to us.
"It was difficult to be honest, it was very, very difficult to understand what was going on in that in that period of our life.
“As you know, the football carries on there, so fast, many competitions, the football doesn’t stop. We had many, many competitions.
“And passing through in that moment was probably the most difficult moment that I had in my life."
Ronaldo also revealed that he keeps the ashes of his baby son in a chapel at his home, where his father's ashes are also kept.
The first part of Piers Morgan Uncensored: 90 Minutes with Ronaldo aired on TalkTV on Wednesday at 8pm. The second half is due to air on Thursday, 17 November.
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