.png)
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Football, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gerard Pique, La Liga, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Transfers
Rory O'Callaghan
Topics: Football, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gerard Pique, La Liga, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Transfers
Gerard Pique claims Cristiano Ronaldo was close to joining Barcelona before his move to Real Madrid.
Ronaldo joined Madrid from Manchester United in 2009 for a then world-record fee of £80m.
He would go on to become the most prolific goalscorer in Madrid’s history, scoring 450 goals in 438 games for the club - including 18 times against Barcelona.
But it could have been a very different story, according to Pique - who played with Ronaldo during their time together at United.
He claims both Ronaldo and current Madrid star Vinicius Jr could have ended up at the Nou Camp rather than the Bernabeu.
“Cristiano was once close to Barca before he signed for Madrid. Same for Vinicius,” Pique said on Ibai’s Twitch channel.
Barcelona defender Pique also opened up on the club’s number one transfer target, Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.
The 21-year-old has attracted interest from across Europe after scoring 80 goals in 79 appearances for Dortmund, with Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea all said to be rivalling Barcelona for his signature.
According to reports in Spain, Haaland would prefer a move to the Nou Camp and Pique expects the striker to join a Spanish club when he leaves Dortmund.
“I think Haaland is coming to La Liga. I want the best players with me. This is my opinion, not information,” said Pique, who also commented on the speculation surrounding Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe.
He added: “Having Haaland and Mbappe would be good for La Liga and football in general.
“But if I had to make a bet, I would say that they would not play in the same team. If they move from their clubs now, anyway.”
Pique also addressed the situation surrounding his team-mate Ousmane Dembele.
The France international is out of contract at the end of the season and has reportedly refused to sign a new deal at Barcelona on a lower salary, as the club looks to reduce its huge wage bill.
Dembele has been strongly linked with a return to his homeland with PSG and Pique says he understands the forward’s reluctance to sign a new deal at the Nou Camp.
“I understand both sides. There is a lot of money at stake here. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and defends their interests,” he said.