Cristiano Ronaldo pushed to leave Manchester United in the summer (Getty)
Diego Simeone insists Atletico Madrid should not entertain the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United due to his links with Real Madrid.
Ronaldo pushed to leave United in the summer transfer window and the 37-year-old’s agent, Jorge Mendes, had held talks with several clubs across Europe including Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
Atletico Madrid were also approached but a deal was not struck and Ronaldo has ended up staying at Old Trafford, at least until the January transfer window.
But Simeone is adamant that Atletico should not sign Ronaldo given his history with Real Madrid.
‘In the first place, the two little birds who told you anything was far from what has happened,’ Simeone told Tigo Sports.
‘People sometimes speak to say what they want to say, not what actually happens.
Diego Simeone insists Atletico Madrid should categorically rule out signing Cristiano Ronaldo (EPA)
‘Ronaldo is an absolute benchmark for Real Madrid and I would not see [Martin] Palermo ever playing for River, just as I wouldn’t see [Juan Roman] Riquelme or [Ariel] Ortega playing for Boca. There are situations that are very clear.
‘I remember in the pre-season a fan behind me yelled at me, without knowing anything about what was happening but I did know about the rumours that there were, ‘Cholo, be careful, the Champions League is not at all costs’.
‘And I liked it because it is a very healthy reflection, very team, neighborhood, fan, heart and a little reflecting what I felt at that time beyond the fact that I’m not going to deny Cristiano’s story, but it’s not the same as how Luis Suarez joined than if Ronaldo would have arrived.
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‘The same thing happens to him that I told Luis, I told him that when he went to play with his friends he would continue scoring goals because it’s innate and he has it inside him.
‘I have no doubt that Ronaldo will score goals again, it is impossible for him to walk away if he is mentally strong as he has always been to show all his strength, hierarchy and the striker he is.’
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‘There are situations that are very clear.’