Ronaldo: Ferdinand tried to lure me back to United
Print Edition
Newly crowned Ballon d’Or-winner Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he was pestered to rejoin Manchester United last year by former teammate Rio Ferdinand.
Ronaldo scored 117 goals for United between 2003 and 2009 before leaving for Real Madrid and he suggested that he had contemplated returning to Old Trafford last year.
“It was true that Rio spoke to me a lot,” the 28-year-old told reporters following the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Zurich, in comments published by several British national newspapers yesterday.
“Rio is a great friend of mine. We played many years together at Manchester United and we were neighbors when I was there in Manchester.
“He’s a fantastic guy and tried to change my mind. I did think about United. They are still in my heart. It’s a club where I played for six years and I love that club. I have a lot of friends there and I wish them the best.”
Ronaldo scored in each leg as Madrid knocked United out of last season’s Champions League in the last 16, but he pointedly declined to celebrate on each occasion.
Ferdinand corroborated Ronaldo’s story, writing on his Facebook page that he “tried and failed to twist his ear.”
“Cristiano is living proof that no matter how much talent you have as a youngster, you have to work hard in order to be successful,” Ferdinand wrote. “I’m still truly astonished by the drive and determination to stay at the top, by not only Ronaldo, but (Lionel) Messi too. It’s been a joy to witness these two push each other week in week out.”
Ronaldo also said he had made peace with FIFA President Sepp Blatter, whose comments in October stating a preference for Messi seemed to confirm a long-held belief in Portugal that their player was destined to lose.
“We talked over the telephone and everything was cleared,” Ronaldo said. “This is no longer an issue, neither for us nor for football.”
Ronaldo received 1,365 points, Messi had 1,205 and Franck Ribery, the France and Bayern Munich winger, got 1,127. Voting was done by national team captains and coaches and journalists in each FIFA member country.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
