Atletico Madrid supporters are uniting in an effort to stop their club from signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United this summer.
Ronaldo has informed United that he wants to be granted a transfer away from the club. He is frustrated at the lack of recruitment in the transfer window so far and is desperate to play in the Champions League next season so he can further his legacy in the competition.
The 37-year-old has been missing from United’s pre-season tours of Thailand and Australia for family reasons. Speculation over his future has been rife, with Chelsea, Napoli, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid among the clubs linked with him recently.
Atleti have been the most persistent name in reports, due to the fact they can offer Ronaldo Champions League football and a return to the city he lived in for nine years. Diego Simeone’s side would reportedly need to dramatically reduce their wage bill to sign Ronaldo to comply with La Liga financial rules – and there could be another barrier to the deal.
Ronaldo turned out for Atleti’s arch rivals Real Madrid between 2009 and 2018 and Los Colchoneros fans are therefore not keen on his arrival at their club. Angry supporters have united behind the hashtag #ContraCR7 [AgainstCR7] on Twitter to voice their displeasure and hopefully influence the club’s decision.
“If this one comes to my Atleti, I will cancel my two subscriptions.... We are not an asylum to collect scum,” one supporter tweeted. “This is not just about Atletico fans, every club's fans should reject Ronaldo,” another added.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Manchester United sell Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, or keep him for another season? Comment below.
“A clown who represents everything that is not Atleti. It would destroy the locker room, the fans and everything it touches. It is not even sustained sportingly, [he’s] in clear decline,” one Atleti supporter wrote. “At the Club we would never put the results of the brand, image or economic dividends before the sports or social ones,” another agreed.
Ronaldo is under contract for a further 12 months at United, who are paying him around £500,000 per week in wages. Erik ten Hag has been firm on his stance . “We are planning with Cristiano for this season, so that's it and I am looking forward to working with him,” he said on July 11. “I spoke with him before this issue came up. I had a really good conversation with him, but that will stay between me and him. But Cristiano is not for sale.”
However, Mirror Football understands that United have privately accepted that keeping an unhappy Ronaldo could disrupt Ten Hag's efforts next season. Sources close to the situation say that Ten Hag has been working hard over the past month to restore harmony in the Red Devils' dressing room and doesn’t want Ronaldo to disrupt things.
