“An invitation from him, like that, there’s no way to refuse” - Alex Telles shares how Cristiano Ronaldo convinced him to leave Manchester United
Brazilian left-back Alex Telles has revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo convinced him to quit Manchester United for Al-Nassr. The 31-year-old is currently on the books of Botafogo in Brazil having spent the last season alongside Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.
Telles, who also shared the dressing room with Ronaldo at Old Trafford, has claimed that the Portuguese superstar convinced him to move to Riyadh. The Brazil international admitted that his conversation with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner helped him make his decision. He told Globo Esporte, as quoted by talkSPORT:
"He made it easier for me to go [to Al-Nassr], he called me beforehand and said, 'come here, let's enjoy it here, the country is opening up to football, more people are coming.'"
The former FC Porto full-back added:
"An invitation from him, like that, there's no way to refuse… It was easy.”
Alex Telles never quite managed to impress thoroughly at Manchester United upon joining the Red Devils in 2020 in a reported £15.4 million deal. He only made 50 appearances across two seasons and spent one season away on loan at Sevilla.
The attacking left-back featured 21 times alongside Ronaldo for Manchester United and 34 times for Al-Nassr. While Telles has quit Saudi Arabia for a return to Brazil this summer, Ronaldo remains the face of Al-Alami and the Saudi Pro League in general.
Cristiano Ronaldo's decision to quit Manchester United for Al-Nassr in January 2023 put Saudi Arabia on the world football map for the first time. The likes of Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane, Neymar, N'Golo Kante and Joao Cancelo are some of the most prominent names playing football in the Saudi Pro League right now.
Former Manchester United and Liverpool striker names how much prime Cristiano Ronaldo would cost right now
Liverpool legend turned TV pundit Michael Owen has claimed that prime Cristiano Ronaldo would cost over £500 million in transfer fees in the modern-day market. The former England striker insisted that the Portuguese superstar would be the most expensive footballer by some distance.
Owen opined that Ronaldo would eclipse Neymar's £200 million fee, which Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) paid to Barcelona, with ease. The ex-Manchester United attacker said, as quoted by Goal:
"If you look at the transfer record now of over £200 million, you'd have to say Cristiano Ronaldo was worth more than that at Manchester United. In hindsight, I think £500 million would be cheap."
The ex-Newcastle United striker added:
"You could even double that if you look at the goals, trophies, the shirts, and how much clubs have benefited from having him there. How he's grown their brand, how he's won them trophies and made them all this money."
Owen concluded:
"I guess if you'd said to them at that point how much he would give you for nine seasons, they might say yes to a billion pounds, forget about £80 million. £500 million would be cheap."
Cristiano Ronaldo held the status for being the most expensive footballer for a long time when he joined Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2009. He joined Los Blancos in a deal worth a reported £80 million and scored 450 goals in 438 games for the Spanish giants while producing 131 assists.