Tony Cascarino has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo is desperate to quit Manchester United because he is afraid that Lionel Messi will eclipse his UEFA Champions League goalscoring record.
On Saturday it emerged that Cristiano Ronaldo had made it clear to Old Trafford’s management that he would like to leave Manchester United this summer – 12 months after he re-signed for Juventus. Manchester United failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League after a poor Premier League campaign last year, with Ronaldo reportedly not interested in playing in the UEFA Europa League under new coach Erik ten Hag next season.
The 37-year-old wants to challenge the big honors in the first few years of his life, but Cascarino believes his desire to leave Manchester United this summer is because the Portuguese star fears losing one of his most impressive records. to Leo Messi.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the biggest scorer in the UEFA Champions League after scoring 141 goals in a tournament over the past 19 years. However, Messi, who will play in the tournament against Paris Saint-Germain next year, has only 16 goals left for his rival.
And Cascarino does not change Cristiano Ronaldo’s “ego” and that particular record is what motivated him to want to be sold. Cascarino told talkSPORT: “Ronaldo is a player who, as always, is selfish. A lot about him but the teams he has played for have been a success, so you always go with it as a team player.
“It’s great, you score goals, you get medals, you’re one of the greatest players to ever play a game. You can have all that and that’s fine, as long as you win. If you do not win, you now have a problem.
“I told you I was not on the air, I suspect you have 141 goals in the Champions League. Messi has 125 points. “He does not want to miss out on UEFA Champions League football because he wants to be the greatest scorer in the UEFA Champions League who has ever been beaten and Cristiano Ronaldo has been treated that way.”
Since joining Manchester United for the first time in 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo has continued to play in a major European competition every year. Given that the veteran is determined to ensure a spectacular run, it is believed that he will only leave Manchester United for a club that can offer UEFA Champions League football.
A new report by The Athletic revealed that Chelsea and Bayern Munich have both been monitoring Ronaldo’s situation – a few days later it has emerged that Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has been in contact with the Blues. Napoli was also honored for its interest in Ronaldo’s services.