“I told him, ‘You know what we say in Italy? Go to hell’”- When Gian Piero Gasperini shared hilarious chat with Cristiano Ronaldo after late equalizer
Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini once told Cristiano Ronaldo to go to hell. The incident occured at the end of Manchester United's Champions League tie against Atalanta in 2021.
The Portuguese had initiatly caught the eye as a teenager with the Red Devils, spending six season at Old Trafford before leaving for Real Madrid in 2009. After conquering Spain, Ronaldo joined Juventus in 2018 and spent three seasons at Turin.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner returned to Old Trafford in the summer of 2021 and donned the fabled No. 7 shirt once again. He came up against Atalanta in the group stages of the Champions League in November that year.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace in the game to help Manchester United secure a point at the Gewiss Stadium. After the game, the Portuguese was seen in conversation with the Atalanta manager.
When pressed on the matter by Sky Italia, Gasperini opened up on a hilarious conversation with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
"At the end of the match, I spoke with Ronaldo. He's an incredible player, some even call him a problem. That’s a nice problem to have. He rarely gets it off target; half the time he scores, half the time it is saved. I told him, ‘You know what we say in Italy? Go to hell’,” said Gasperini.
Cristiano Ronaldo had also scored the winner in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford and Gasperini was clearly impressed by his ability. Sadly, the Portuguese' second coming with Manchester United failed to live up to expectations and he left in December 2022 to join Al-Nassr.
Will Cristiano Ronaldo sign a new deal with Al-Nassr?
Cristiano Ronaldo has been in impressive form for Al-Nassr so far, registering 67 goals and 18 assists from 74 games across competitions. He won the Arab Club Champions Cup last year and is gunning for the Saudi Pro League this year.
However, the 39-year-old's contract with the Middle Eastern club expires at the end of this campaign and he hasn't signed an extension yet. Recent reports have suggested that Al-Nassr are pleased with his efforts and are likely to offer him an extension. His current contract sees him earn $220m per year in wages only.
Ronaldo has opened the doors of Saudi Arabia to the world since making the move. Multiple big names have following the Portuguese to the Middle East so far and the trend is expected to continue in the coming years.