AS Roma General Manager Tiago Pinto has rubbished reports that Cristiano Ronaldo could reunite with Jose Mourinho in the Italian capital after the breakdown in the striker’s relationship with Manchester United.
Ronaldo gave an explosive interview in which he criticised his club, his teammates, and his manager.
He even said that he had “no respect” for Erik ten Hag, and his multiple digs have led to the Red Devils exploring the possibility of terminating the forward’s contract.
That would leave Ronaldo available to sign for another club on a free transfer during the January window.
But Pinto reacted with irritation when asked about the subject by Gazzeta during the Thinking Football Summit.
“One of the things that annoys me a bit in Italy is that we always talk about the transfer market. We talk every day. In Portugal we are better off because we only talk when the transfer market opens, but the truth is that Cristiano has never been a possibility.
“These rumours have never had any basis, but in Italy we talk about three different players every day, it is perhaps normal to approach each other because we are Portuguese and he is Portuguese, but this, I repeat, has never had any basis.”
During the summer a number of Champions League clubs publicly distance themselves from the prospect of signing Ronaldo.
But it seems now the queue to denounce any possibility is filling up with Europa League clubs as well, with Roma clearly holding no interest in the 37-year-old.
Ronaldo’s antics this season cannot possibly have gone down well with potential suitors, with few managers likely to relish the prospect of welcoming a player so willing to point the finger at everyone but themselves when their own performances fail to match their ego.
Directors and chairmen have already cited Ronaldo’s mammoth wages as a stumbling block but were Ronaldo still performing at the exceptional levels, he was able to maintain a decade ago, those excuses simply would not be used.
Unfortunately for Ronaldo, he may find that the bridges he has burnt over the last few months go beyond Old Trafford.
