Corinthians president Duilio Monteiro Alves has opened the door for Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to join the club if the five-time Ballon d’Or winner decides to play in Brazil.
Ronaldo has attempted to leave United this summer, just a year after a sensational return to the club where he first became a world-renowned football icon.
The 37-year-old scored 24 goals in all competitions but it wasn’t enough to stop United recording their worst ever points tally in the Premier League era. He asked the club to consider suitable offers and Jorge Mendes even travelled to Manchester for talks, but United refused to budge.
Ronaldo later returned to training after missing most of pre-season for family reasons and appeared for 45 minutes in last weekend’s Old Trafford friendly against Rayo Vallecano. But he and a few others went home early before the game had finished and drew ire from Erik ten Hag.
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But the United boss also seemed unhappy that Ronaldo got most of the media glare over the incident given that he was far from the only one to leave when he did. His place in the manager’s plans isn’t in doubt and the thing that will determine his involvement when United open their season against Brighton on Sunday will be his match sharpness after minimal training.
Yet what is certain is that this saga will continue to rumble on.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been linked with Ronaldo, while Chelsea have also been heavily associated with a potential swoop. Should Ronaldo still want to quit United and really push the boat out by trying his hand in South America, Corinthians would welcome him with open arms.
"It's true, I'm dreaming big. This is Corinthians! Aren't Willian and Renato Augusto here? In football everything is possible, and I have the obligation to do my best for Corinthians,” the club’s president said on Ulissescast in Brazil.
"Is it possible? I don't know. We haven't tried yet, we haven't looked into it, but we are keeping an eye on it. Imagine if he suddenly wants to play in Brazil."
Based in Sao Paulo, Corinthians are one of Brazil’s most famous club teams and have won the Brasileirao seven times since 1990, as well the Copa Libertadores in 2012 – they even beat Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup final that year and remain the last non-European side to win it.
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Source : 90min