Ronaldo Explains Why He Felt "Betrayed" By Inter And His Reasons For Joining AC Milan

Brazil icon Ronaldo has admitted that he wanted to return to Inter Milan, but he insisted that he doesn't regret signing for fierce rivals AC Milan.

The 43-year-old iconic former striker left Barcelona in 1997 to complete a then-world-record transfer to Inter for £19.5m.

But Ronaldo's initial time at the San Siro was plagued with injuries, despite scoring 49 times in 68 appearances for Inter.

The two-time World Cup winner, who won the UEFA Cup with Inter, claimed that he "did everything" that he could to return to the Italian club.

Ronaldo told Italian magazine Sportweek: "It seems convenient to say this now, but it is only the truth, I wanted to go back to Inter.

"Moreover, I did everything I could to get back to Inter. I waited as long as I could to give Inter time to say yes or no, when neither a yes nor a no comes, it means no."

Ronaldo left Inter in 2002 and completed a sensational €46m switch to Real Madrid as part of Florentino Perez's Galacticos era.

The two-time Ballon d'Or winner returned to Italy in 2007 when Inter's fierce rivals paid £4.95m to Madrid.

Ronaldo, who spent one season at Milan, has claimed that he does not regret the decision to sign for the Italian club.

"From AC Milan, it was yes, and at that moment, more than feeling like a traitor, I felt a bit betrayed that I had been rejected by Inter," he said.

"It was an unpopular choice, but in my life, I've never been afraid to make those. And today it makes no sense for me to ask myself if I would do it again."

The ex-Madrid and Barcelona star also explained his reasons for signing for Milan and his relationship with former club president Silvio Berlusconi.

"If I did it, it's because in that moment I felt it was the thing to do, neither right nor wrong, it was in my head and there was a reason," Ronaldo explained.

"Berlusconi and especially [Adriano] Galliani loved me very much, my relationship with them is a memory that still makes me smile today. The relationship has been broken but the esteem has remained."

Ronaldo, who is considered as one of the best players of all time, left Milan for Corinthians before retiring from football in 2011.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football News, Football, Serie A, Ronaldo, AC Milan, Inter Milan

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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