Cristiano Ronaldo has reignited the prospect of a bombshell transfer to Manchester City two years after a proposed move fell through.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was speculated to be joining the Premier League champions in 2021 after leaving Juventus.
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Ronaldo instead returned to Manchester United for a rocky second spell, lasting just a season-and-a-half before his dramatic exit.
He now stars for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia but has left the door open for a move to City despite his legendary status at United.
When appearing at the Globe Soccer Awards, Ronaldo was asked by CNN Sport presenter Amanda Davies if he would be willing to join.
“Is this the moment, Cristiano, that maybe you join up and give them a helping hand?” she asked. “I know we’ve talked about it in the past.”
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“Well in football, you never know what’s going to happen,” Ronaldo replied, with Davies quickly saying: “That’s not a no.”
Ronaldo laughed and smiled in response, with the footballing icon previously revealing details about the potential move to City.
“Honestly, it was close,” he told Piers Morgan on TalkTV, before later revealing what legendary United boss Sir Alex Ferguson told him.
“He said to me that, ‘It’s impossible for you to come to Manchester City.’ And I said, ‘OK boss’, so I took the decision… I was with conscience, that it was a good decision.”
If Ronaldo did complete an unlikely move to City in the January transfer window, he would join a side currently enduring a dismal run of form.
City have won just once in their last 13 matches in all competitions and sit seventh in the Premier League, 14 points off top spot.
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Pep Guardiola has seemingly struggled to turn their fortunes around despite so much past success, but Ronaldo has offered a solution.
“Probably say less and show more, this is what I will say,” he said when asked what he would tell the City players if he was there.
“I will push a few guys apart and say what I think, I don’t need to say in front of everybody.
“But I think the big teams, the big players, they are smart enough to understand what is the problem, where is the problem. I’m sure, 100 per cent, they will be back.
“Guardiola is a very smart coach and he knows where the problem is coming from. They will be there, like always, so as I said before, [Real] Madrid is the same.
“They have a little bit of difficulty in the beginning, some players, their adjustments, some positions, Mbappe, Vinicius, Rodrygo, whatever. But they will be back like always.”
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City return to action away at Leicester City this afternoon, live on talkSPORT, in desperate need of a win.
Three points would see them rise to fifth but this standing will be short-lived if Bournemouth beat Fulham.
