Ex-Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo was keen to complete an astonishing January switch to Arsenal before he ultimately headed to Saudi Arabia, claims one-time friend Piers Morgan.
Ronaldo, who left Manchester United when his contract was mutually terminated following an explosive interview with Morgan in November, joined Al-Nassr at the end of January and has scored 12 times in 13 outings for his new side, though he will likely end the season trophyless after a poor run of results.
But it could have been very different. According to Morgan, the 38-year-old striker was keen on a move to Arsenal in January in a bid to win the Premier League title, but the feeling was not mutual from the north London side.
‘If we’d signed Ronaldo when he left Utd, until the end of the season – as he was keen to do btw – we would have won the League” he wrote on Twitter. ‘He knows how to win major trophies, and how to score goals when it really matters.’
Mock all you like, but if we’d signed Ronaldo when he left Utd, until the end of the season – as he was keen to do btw – we would have won the League. He knows how to win major trophies, and how to score goals when it really matters. https://t.co/nxRhDCONRC
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 16, 2023
Of course, Arsenal were never likely to offer Ronaldo a deal even on a short-term basis, even disregarding his history with rivals Manchester United.
His playstyle is very different from that which Mikel Arteta demands and his wages would have been likely to blow the club’s highest-paid player’s salary out of the water.
