“It was a big compliment to have Cristiano Ronaldo ask me to join” - When Matthijs de Ligt opened up on Manchester United icon’s transfer request
New Manchester United centre-back Matthijs de Ligt once received an invitation from Cristiano Ronaldo to join him at Juventus. De Ligt played for Juve between 2019 and 2022.
The then 19-year-old had impressively led an Ajax team to within a whisker of the UEFA Champions League final before a late stoppage-time goal by Tottenham Hotspur put paid to their hopes.
Nevertheless, De Ligt had made his name as one of the defenders to watch out for as he joined the Bianconeri that summer. Interestingly, Ronaldo - who was playing for the club at the time - had asked the young centre-back to join him at Juve.
As things turned out, De Ligt had already made up his mind to join the Serie A giants, before receiving the invitation from Ronaldo. He said in a 2019 interview following the Netherlands' UEFA Nations League final defeat to Portugal:
"After the final I was already sure I wanted to join Juve. It was a big compliment to have (Cristiano) Ronaldo ask me to join, but it didn't make the difference."
Five years later, De Ligt arrives at Manchester United, where a young Ronaldo had made his name as a world-class player. The Portugal captain's first stint at the club was from 2003 to 2009.
How Matthijs de Ligt fared with Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus?
Matthijs de Ligt played two seasons together with Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus. De Ligt, the youngest captain in Ajax history, played 68 games together with the Portugal captain, recording one joint goal contribution, scored by Ronaldo.
During their two seasons together at the Allianz Arena (2019-20 and 2020-21), they won one Serie A (2019-20) and Coppa Italia (2020-21) title before Ronaldo returned to United in the summer of 2021 for a second stint.
De Ligt, meanwhile, stayed at Juve for another season before joining Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022. In 117 games across competitions with the Bianconeri, the 25-year-old contributed eight goals and three assists, winning one Serie A, Coppa Italia and the Italian Super Cup.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo spent a successful three-season stint with the Bianconeri. In 134 games across competitions, he registered an impressive 101 goals and 22 assists, winning back-to-back Serie A, one Coppa Italia and two Italian Super Cup titles.
Now at Al-Nassr, he's coming off a 44-goal season, his first in Saudi Arabian football, while De Ligt prepares for his Manchester United debut.