"We all voted" - Bayern Munich sporting director explains how decision to reject Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was made
It is no secret that Bayern Munich snubbed the chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United this summer after initially being heavily linked with the attacker.
During an interview with German outlet BILD, the Bundesliga club's Sporting Director Hasan Salihamidzic explained how the Bavarians reached the decision not to sign the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Many expected Bayern Munich to sign Cristiano Ronaldo after losing Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona this summer. This would've been a like-for-like replacement: replacing a proven, elite goalscorer with another.
However, the Bavarians felt they have enough firepower in attack and, as a result, decided not to sign the Manchester United ace.
Hasan Salihamidzic explained to Bild that there was a voting process on the matter and the club chose to back the players they already had in their ranks. He said:
"When you now see how our attack is equipped – even without Robert Lewandowski – it’s just difficult from a sporting and financial point of view.
“We have eight players for four positions upfront.. We have established top players who are in the prime of their footballing age. We have talent that we want to give playing time too, so we all voted to go through with our plan.
Hasan Salihamidžić on whether Ronaldo was an option for Bayern: "When you now see how our attack is equipped - even without Robert Lewandowski - it's just difficult from a sporting and financial point of view." [Podcast Phrasenmäher, @BILD] https://t.co/fyUdLK35fW
“So that (Ronaldo) was out of question for us. We are very happy with how we’re equipped.”
Meanwhile, it is worth noting that even though Bayern Munich refused to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, they still managed to strengthen their squad significantly with other additions this summer.
The likes of Ryan Gravenberch, Marhys Tel, Sadio Mane and Matthijs de Ligt have all moved to the Allianz Arena.
Cristiano Ronaldo could still leave Manchester United despite Bayern Munich snub
Oliver Kahn on Ronaldo: "We discussed the topic internally, otherwise we wouldn't be doing our job properly. Personally, I think Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers to ever live on the planet" [@SPORTBILD] https://t.co/HrPfBI8nGD
The Portuguese has played a couple of games for Manchester United already this season but his future remains up in the air. As it stands, no one can rule out Ronaldo's departure from Old Trafford this summer.
It is believed that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner remains determined to feature in the Champions League this term and would gladly join any top club that offers him a way out.