Cristiano Ronaldo asked Real Madrid not to sign Paul Pogba last summer according to Diario Gol. The Spanish outlet claim that Los Blancos were keen on signing the midfielder but the Portuguese international asked them to opt out of it.
United and Madrid were believed to be in competition for Pogba’s signature. The 23-year-old spent part of his youth career at Old Trafford, before moving to Juventus in 2011 and winning four Serie A titles with the club.
Cristiano Ronaldo, left, with Paul Pogba at Stade de France, Paris, July 10, 2016. Ronaldo reportedly blocked Pogba’s move to Real Madrid last summer.
The Real Madrid superstar ordered the club not to break the world record fee and land Pogba so that he does not have to ‘share the limelight’ with him. Diario Gol further go on to claim that Zidane was forced to end the discussions as Perez feared that Ronaldo would force a move away if they continued to pursue Pogba.
Ronaldo’s influence in the Spanish capital benefited his former club, with Pogba completing his transfer back to United to play under Jose Mourinho.
Diario notes that the same situation may be occurring now, with Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane keen to bring in Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti, but Ronaldo worried that another big name may steal his limelight.
Paul Pogba was a target for Real Madrid and Manchester United in the summer of 2016. The French international was at in top form for Juventus and had attracted interest from all the top clubs.
Jose Mourinho tried to sign him at Chelsea in 2015 but eventually got him in 2016, but this time, at Manchester United. The midfielder was signed for a world record fee of £89 million.
This is not the first time Real Madrid have done something Ronaldo wanted. He did not want the world to know the exact fee paid by Madrid for Gareth Bale (£85 million) so that he could still be the player with the biggest transfer fee.
Ronaldo is also said to have vetoed Aubameyang’s move to Bernabeu last summer. The Portuguese international wanted the club to trust Alvaro Morata but some reports suggest that Ronaldo believed that Aubameyang could usurp him.
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Pogba was heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid during his time at Juventus. Zidane was keen on signing him, and Perez was ready to pay the Italian side anything they asked for him.
Juventus were keen on signing James Rodriguez, and the Bernabeu side were even willing to offer the Colombian in a ‘cash + player’ deal to get Pogba. The negotiations were at an advanced stage when Ronaldo asked them to drop the interest.
Barcelona were also keen on signing Pogba but the French midfielder only wanted to join Los Blancos if he was moving to Spain. Madrid appeared to be frontrunners for his signature, but Manchester United stunned the world by signing him £89 million.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been criticised for his pride and arrogance in the past, but this story makes absolutely no sense. Pogba is a midfielder and there is no way he could hamper Ronaldo’s legacy at Madrid. Furthermore, if that was the case then Ronaldo would have blocked Gareth Bale’s transfer in the past as well.
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