Cristiano Ronaldo wants to make surprise return to Real Madrid - Reports
Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly eyeing a sensational return to Real Madrid once his Al-Nassr contract expires. He believes that the best way to end his career is by returning to the top flight in Europe.
As per a report in El Desmarque, Ronaldo has interest from Al-Hilal and Inter Milan, with his contract at Al-Nassr set to expire in June this year. He is still in talks over a new deal, but has also started to look for options if things do not pan out well.
The possibility of a return to Real Madrid comes as a surprise, as the Portuguese superstar stated back in 2023 that his time with European clubs was done. ESPN quoted him as saying:
"I'm 100 percent sure I won't return to any European club. I'm 38 years old. And European football has lost a lot of quality. The only valid one and still doing good is the Premier League. They're way ahead of all the other leagues."
Al-Hilal are said to be looking for a superstar signing after terminating Neymar's contract. They have also been linked with Mohamed Salah, whose Liverpool contract also expires this summer.
Why did Cristiano Ronaldo leave Real Madrid in 2018?
Cristiano Ronaldo claimed in 2018 that he decided to leave Real Madrid because he did not feel appreciated enough at the club. He stated that club president Florentino Perez also did not categorically ask him to stay. He said (via The Guardian):
“I felt it inside the club, especially from the president, that they no longer considered me the same way that they did in the start. In the first four or five years there I had the feeling of being ‘Cristiano Ronaldo’. Less afterwards. The president looked at me through eyes that didn’t want to say the same thing, as if I was no longer indispensable to them, if you know what I mean. That’s what made me think about leaving. The truth is that the president wanted me but, at the same time, he made it known to me that my departure would not constitute a problem."
Cristiano Ronaldo left for Juventus in a reported €100 million deal after Los Blancos' 2018 UEFA Champions League win. He played 438 matches for Real Madrid and scored 450 goals across competitions.