It’s safe to say that Cristiano Ronaldo‘s second stint at Manchester United was bittersweet. The Red Devils’ championship ambitions were immediately shattered upon his return to Old Trafford, and as a result, the team even ended with the fewest points in Premier League history.
Ronaldo started the 2022-23 season on the bench, but after an explosive chat with his buddy and journalist Piers Morgan, he revealed his true position on the team. The top player for United who was unhappy there, took shots at the club, previous manager Ralf Rangnick, and Erik ten Hag, saying he had felt ‘betrayed’ by all of them.
Then the Portuguese superstar became available to any team that wanted him once the Premier League giants released him from his contract in December 2022. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had his pick of potential landing locations, including Europe and the United States, but he ultimately signed the most costly deal in global football with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
Which club could have Cristiano Ronaldo joined instead of Al-Nassr in January 2023?
Before moving to Saudi Arabia, the Portugal captain allegedly came very close to sealing a sensational transfer to Arsenal. The same Pierce Morgan, an ardent supporter of the Gunners, recently claimed on social media that the 38-year-old legend was eager to make the switch to the Emirates Stadium.
The notorious journalist even went on to make the audacious assertion that, had they signed Ronaldo in January, Mikel Arteta’s side would have won the Premier League this season: “Mock all you like, but if we’d signed Ronaldo when he left Utd, until the end of the season – as he was keen to do by the way – we would have won the league. He knows how to win major trophies, and how to score goals when it really matters”, he took to Twitter to write.
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With last Sunday’s 3-0 home loss to Brighton, Arsenal’s sputtering championship campaign seemed to have struck rock bottom. For the sixth time in seven games, they failed to secure a point, putting Manchester City in a position where they need only one victory from their next three league matches to defend their championship.
