Piers Morgan says Cristiano Ronaldo would have considered move to Celtic or Rangers
The TalkTV host says the former Manchester United man could have been tempted to move to Scotland before Saudi Arabia
Piers Morgan claims Cristiano Ronaldo would have considered a move to either Celtic or Rangers after leaving Manchester United in November.
The Portuguese superstar is now plying his trade at Saudi side Al Nassr but in an interview with talkSPORT, Morgan suggested Scotland could have been his next destination if things had panned out differently as he was so keen to keep playing in the Champions League.
“Ronaldo would have gone anywhere that had Champions League football," the TalkTV host said, as quoted by The Sun, after being asked whether Ronaldo would have moved to The SPFL if they'd matched the money of the Saudi Pro League.
"I know for a fact because he repeatedly told me what he really wanted to do was extend his Champions League career. He has most of the records in the Champions League and he wants to extend them, probably so that Messi can’t catch him and that he ends up as the GOAT of Champions League football.
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“That was his motivating factor."
Ronaldo's departure from Old Trafford late last year made headlines across the globe. He was linked to a number of clubs, including Chelsea and his former side Sporting Lisbon, before making the switch to Al Nassr.
This move split opinion, with some suggesting the 37 year old was in search of one final payday, a claim Morgan refutes.
"I do believe that he’s driven more by records and legacy than he is by money," Morgan continued.
"He’s already got half a billion pounds so it’s not like he needs a few quid in Saudi Arabia.
"He just happens to be getting a stupendous payday to build football there from a very good platform of beating the World Champions (Saudi Arabia defeated Argentina in their opening game of the 2022 World Cup).
"So things did change a lot in the last few months in terms of the narrative of football in the Middle East. It was a tremendous World Cup for the region generally, so it looks a little less crazy than it would have done six months ago when Saudi were a complete irrelevance in football."
Ronaldo's new employers currently sit top of the Saudi Pro-League table, having won 9 of their first 13 matches.
Meanwhile, Celtic and Rangers are separated by nine points in the SPFL. The two sides lock horns again in the Scottish League Cup Final on 26th February.
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Saudi Arabia, Al Nassr, Celtic, Rangers
James Aldred