Cristiano Ronaldo had to pay €30 million penalty if he had rejected Real Madrid: Report

Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has opened up on one of the biggest transfers in football. While speaking to The Athletic, Calderon has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo had agreed to a deal with Real Madrid a year in advance before his then-world record transfer from Manchester United in 2009.

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Cristiano Ronaldo transfer: Player agreed to pay hefty fine

Ramos Calderon further revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid and Manchester United had agreed that if any of the three parties decided to back out on the transfer, then they would have to pay a penalty. The penalty amount was fixed at €30 million according to the former president.

Calderon claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo called him in 2008 to inform him of his agreement to join the Los Blancos. Ronaldo had agreed to a contract extension with Man United that year itself. However, he had made it clear that a move to the Spanish capital in 2009 was imminent. The former president stated that they believed in the Portuguese international’s words, which is why he had signed the penalty agreement as well.

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Cristiano Ronaldo transfer: Sir Alex Ferguson did not want to deal for the player

Ramos Calderon revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo often spoke to him about his stint with Man United, describing Sir Alex Ferguson as his father. Ronaldo often appreciated Ferguson for transforming him as the best player in the world. Calderon also claimed that Ferguson was not willing to sell Ronaldo, but he had to since the player’s heart was set at Madrid. Ramos Calderon further described Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes as a very great person. Calderon claimed that he was a great agent who knew how to protect his players.

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Cristiano Ronaldo went on to join Real Madrid in 2009 after a very successful stint with the Red Devils. During his nine-year stay with Los Blancos, he won many accolades, both collectively and individually. He is also the club’s all-time top scorer with 450 goals in 438 appearances. Ronaldo went on to join Serie A giants Juventus in 2018 in search of new challenges.

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