Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes has played down reports of his client returning to Manchester United, claiming the reigning World Player of the Year is happy at Real Madrid and will stay there until his 40s.
According to reports over the summer, United have been looking at re-signing player they sold to Real for a then-world record transfer fee of £80m in 2009. The player was said to be amenable to such a move.
However, in an interview with Spanish radio station Cadena COPE on Wednesday evening, Mendes dismissed those suggestions and insisted Ronaldo was going nowhere.
“Cristiano is very happy at Real Madrid and has always been very happy. He’s going to break all the records with Real Madrid and he’s going to retire here,” said Mendes.
“He has a lot of love for United because his heart was there for six years, but now he’s only thinking about Real Madrid and he’s going to stay here forever. He’s incredibly happy. It’s one thing to respect the people who remember him but he’s with Madrid to the death.
“We didn’t receive any offers for him because people know that it’s impossible to take Cristiano from Real Madrid, therefore, it’s not worth it to even call and ask about him.”
Ronaldo scored his 26th hat-trick for Real in the 5-0 win over Athletic Bilbao last weekend to take his tally for the season to 13 goals in just six La Liga matches and 269 in 257 matches since he moved to the Bernabeu five years ago. It is an astonishing record and one that has prompted Mendes to suggest there will not be another player like him “for the next 500 years”.
“He gets better every time and he’ll continue to get better into his 40s,” he said. “Along with being the best player, he’s the best athlete in the world. Nobody compares to him. There won’t be anyone like him for the next 500 years.
“He’s a very humble person and a family man. A fantastic father. He’s the son any mother would love to have. He’s concerned about others. There are so many great things about him that it’s impossible to list all of them.
“Cristiano’s dream is to win another Champions League. He’s dreams are always short term. He’s never satisfied and he always wants more. He never stops surprising me. It’s impossible to find anyone like him in the history of sport.”
