Cristiano Ronaldo has been told he is in “frank decline” and is “the antithesis of the values” that make up Atletico Madrid, in a damning message to club bosses.
The Manchester United superstar - who is less than 12 months into his two-year deal at Old Trafford - is desperately seeking an exit during the summer window. The 37-year-old was United’s top scorer in his first season back at the club, but his 18 Premier League goals only earned them a lowly sixth-placed finish.
That was only good enough for a spot in the Europa League, meaning the Portuguese will be out of the Champions League for the first time in 20 years. And the competition’s highest ever scorer is unwilling to drop into the secondary tournament and is trying to engineer a move.
On Tuesday, Ronaldo, along with his agent Jorge Mendes, met with United’s top brass - including boss Erik ten Hag - to attempt to iron out the grievances the forward has with the club. That meeting between manager and player was the pair’s first, with the Portuguese missing the pre-season tour, citing personal issues.
Mirror Football understands that despite the presence of his mentor and legendary ex-United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo is still keen to force an exit before the September 1 deadline. From the Red Devils’ point of view, the player is not for sale with hopes he will be integrated into Ten Hag’s squad for the upcoming campaign.
However, Ronaldo’s list of potential suitors is a short one which appears to be reducing with every passing week. Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Real Madrid had all been linked before confirming they were out of the running, with Ronaldo himself dismissing suggestions he could return to Sporting.
Atletico then emerged as a potential destination, with reports claiming Diego Simeone is a huge fan of the iconic ex-Real striker. Mere speculation touting Atleti as a suitor has evoked a backlash amongst supporters and an online petition was quickly set up.
This has now been followed up by an official statement from the International Union of Supporters of Atletico Madrid, who claim Ronaldo lacks “the effort, generosity and humility” to play for the Colchoneros.
“Given the possibility that the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo is something more than a simple rumour, without any foundation whatsoever, we express our absolute rejection of a hypothetical incorporation into our Club, as we already publicly stated,” the statement reads.
“The aforementioned player represents the antithesis of the values that constitute the hallmarks of our Atleti, such as effort, generosity, simplicity and humility of those who want to defend our values.
“Even in the unlikely event that a player in frank decline like Cristiano Ronaldo could secure a title, we would not accept your transfer. The sense of belonging to our Athletic feeling is not something that is within his reach, to his misfortune, for which he could never achieve our affection or recognition.
“Therefore, we ask the Club to reject his possible hiring, if at any time it has been considered.”
And their wishes look set to be granted as well, after the La Liga outfit’s president Enrique Cerezo labelled a potential move as “practically impossible”. In an interview with El Partidazo de COPE, he said: "I don't know who invented the story of [ Ronaldo], but it's practically impossible for him to come to Atlético de Madrid.”
