Russian club's hilarious meme on Cristiano Ronaldo's Man United exit plea storms internet

Russian football club Spartak Moscow took to their official Twitter handle on Saturday and put out a meme about Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. The 37-year-old icon has been linked with reports claiming that he wants to end his ongoing spell at Manchester United and join another team, where he can challenge for the UEFA Champions League 2022-23 title.

While several reports have claimed that major clubs have rejected the offer to rope in Ronaldo, Spartak Moscow’s meme also hinted at the current transfer situation involving Ronaldo.

The club retweeted an old tweet put out by them in 2021, with a screenshot of a chat with Argentine star Lionel Messi. While the screenshot showed the team texting Messi, “Hi, Leo!”, it further shows Messi texting back with a plain no. On the other hand, trolling Ronaldo for his wish to exit United, the club shared a spoof screenshot of receiving a text from the Portuguese great, showing they replied with a plain no.

Cristiano Ronaldo's sensational return to Manchester United

It is pertinent to mention that Ronaldo made his much-hyped comeback to Manchester United on a two-year deal in the summer of 2021. While the season turned out to be great for the 37-year-old on a personal level, the team were dismal as they finished sixth in the Premier League 2021-22 standings. This has led the Old Trafford side to play in the UEFA Europa League in the upcoming season.

However, United have continued to back their stance on Ronaldo, as new manager Erik ten Hag revealed that he is not for sale in his first press-conference as the United manager. As per a report by AP, speaking about the Ronaldo situation, the Dutch manager said, “We are planning with Cristiano Ronaldo for this season so that’s it. I’m looking forward to working with him”. On being asked if Ronaldo has requested for his exit from the club, ten Hag added, “He hasn’t told me this. I have read but what I say is Cristiano is not for sale,” Ten Hag said. “Cristiano is in our plans and we want to (have) success together.”

Ronaldo was recently linked with a move to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, as a potential replacement for Polish superstar Robert Lewandowski. It is being reported that Barcelona and Bayern have agreed to a transfer fee for the high-profile tansfer.

As per a report by Sport 1, Bayern’s sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic was questioned about the rumors of Ronaldo’s signing after the news about Lewandowski was confirmed. "I have a lot of respect for Cristiano Ronaldo, his successes and his career. But again, that wasn’t and isn’t an issue for us,” Hasan said.

(Image: AP/@fcsm_official/Twitter)