Cristiano Ronaldo reveals how close Man City transfer was and role Sir Alex Ferguson had in Man Utd return

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed how close he came to signing for Manchester City last summer.

The Portugal superstar rejoined Manchester United in the summer of 2021 just hours after it was reported that he was set to move to the Etihad. But in a crazy few hours, Ronaldo went from looking to set to join City to signing for their local rivals.

The 37-year-old has had mixed fortunes since his return to Old Trafford, although his second stint at United could be drawing to close following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan, the first half of which aired on Wednesday, and saw him criticise several key figures at the club.

Speaking on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Ronaldo said he did consider joining City last year, but explained the huge role Sir Alex Ferguson played in his move from Juventus.

“Honestly it was close,” admitted the United No.7. “It was something they spoke a lot about and Guardiola said two weeks ago that they tried hard to have me.

“But as you know, my history with Manchester United… your heart, your feeling, the history that you had before makes the difference and, of course, Sir Alex Ferguson. It was a conscious decision because [my] heart was speaking loud.

“I think it was key, it was the difference in that moment. But I could not be loyal and also say Manchester City was not close. But I think I did a conscious decision and I don’t regret [it]. As I mentioned before, Sir Alex Ferguson was the key.

“Yes, I spoke with him,” Ronaldo added. “He said it was impossible to go to Manchester City. I said ‘ok boss’. I took the decision and it was conscious. It was a good decision.

“Nobody expected [it],” he said later during the interview. “Things changed around in 72 hours. They spoke, not only Manchester City, but other clubs too spoke about my name, that I will change Juventus for another club. But Manchester United was there in that pot of teams, but they surprised everybody, even me.”