Its been a tough 48 hours for Manchester City fans and the last thing they will want to hear is how their boss' comments turned Ronaldo away from the club.
Judging by the interview with Italian outlet La Repubblica, Guardiola didn't give Ronaldo the open arms welcome you would imagine. It appears he was cold with the 36-year-old. All this just as he was about to make what would have been one of the most controversial transfer's of all time, due to the player's ties with rivals Manchester United, where we will sign next week.
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Guardiola can be perceived as a maniac and he knows what he wants in his team's. Of course, whilst at Barcelona he was an arch enemy of Ronaldo and Real Madrid. Could this have meant he was unable to find a connection with the Portuguese four time Balon d'Or winner. It seems so, because if he wanted him at City that much, he wouldn't have reportedly said this to Ronaldo during a phone call:
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"‘if you can come, we will try to live together. But I can’t guarantee you anything’.
'You what?' Exactly. He's not talking to an up and coming star here. This is Ronaldo. Surely Guardiola knew he was coming from Juventus to get on the end of things and score loads of tap-ins created by the intricate flair and speed surrounding him in the flanks and midfield areas. He's got to be the main man.
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Anyway, Ronaldo must have got cold feet because by Friday afternoon, Jorge Mendes had been busy, and a club legend was returning to Manchester United. Supporters will welcome him home next week, beginning by singing 'Viva Ronaldo' at Wolves tomorrow as all attention will follow on to September 11 after the international break when Newcastle United visit Old Trafford and Ronaldo will surely be in the line-up as the striker and linchpin in the Red Devils title charge.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola - hinting that he had realised what he said - spoke publicly on the saga which has encapsulated fans all around the world. The announcement by Manchester United was the most received for a transfer ever on Twitter, with the club benefitting from an extra 1m followers on Instagram.
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"“In my personal view there are few players, Ronaldo and Messi included, who decide where they are going to play. They are the absolutely leading role in the negotiations and the desire of where they want to play. In that position, right now I’m more than delighted with the squad we have and we’ll stay the same.”
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Pep Guardiola, Manchester City, Manchester United