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Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid, Karim Benzema, Manchester United
George Nash
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid, Karim Benzema, Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly been offered a return to Spanish giants Real Madrid as a replacement for the injured Karim Benzema.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Sport, the Portuguese star could rejoin his former team for a six month period, with the article’s author Lluis Miguelsanz, claiming Madrid president “Florentino Pérez is looking for a striker and Ronaldo would like to return to Madrid.”
The news comes in the aftermath of Ronaldo’s explosive interview with Piers Morgan, in which the 37-year-old openly criticised his current employers Manchester United, including head coach Erik Ten Hag and the Glazers, the club’s owners.
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As a result, United look set to terminate Ronaldo’s contract by mutual consent after the World Cup, opening the door for the possibility of a sensational return to the Spanish capital for Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer.
The injury to Benzema that will rule him out of France’s World Cup campaign has only added further fuel to the rumours of a deal going through in the next few weeks.
The Ballon d’Or winner, who scored an astonishing 44 goals across all competitions last term as Real secured a memorable league and European double, was on Sunday ruled out of the tournament in Qatar after suffering a thigh injury in training.
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The 34-year-old’s absence on the eve of the tournament will be a major blow for France boss Didier Deschamps, who will also be without Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante, as Les Blues look to retain the trophy they won four years ago in Russia.
"I am extremely sad for Karim, who made this World Cup a major goal," Deschamps said.
Benzema himself added: “In my life I never give up but tonight I have to think about the team like I always do.
"So the reason tells me to leave my place to someone who can help our team to make a great World Cup."
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Meanwhile, Ronaldo looks set to become only the fourth player in history to play at five men’s FIFA World Cup finals when he leads Portugal out in their opening group game against Ghana on November 24th.
Ronaldo has over 190 senior international caps to his name, scoring a remarkable 117 goals for his country.
His performances for United this season, however, have been overshadowed by several high-profile off-the-field incidents that have fuelled reports of frictions between player and club, rumours that were all but confirmed by his candid interview with Morgan last week.