Cristiano Ronaldo knew it was 'IMPOSSIBLE' to join a Champions League club after his bitter Man United exit - Marca claims

According to reports, Cristiano Ronaldo was aware that it was "practically impossible" for him to join a Champions League team following the bombshell interview that caused him to leave Manchester United.

In a candid interview with Piers Morgan last month, the 37-year-old attacked the Red Devils and manager Erik ten Hag, and as a result, his contract was mutually terminated.

Ronaldo has said in the past that he would like to play in the Champions League for as long as possible, but Marca has reported that the player always knew this was extremely unlikely after leaving United, despite the player holding out some hope that Real Madrid might try to re-sign him.

From the moment he left Old Trafford, it appeared that Saudi Arabia would be Ronaldo's next stop. He has now signed a £175 million contract with Al-Nassr after meeting with the club's president, Musalli Al-Muammar, and the move was officially announced on Friday night.

Recently, the meeting took place in Madrid, where Ronaldo has been residing and training in preparation for his return to club football.

The Portuguese star has reportedly known about the possibility of joining Al-Nassr for some time, however, as a deal to do so was made during the World Cup.

Ronaldo claimed that his only attention was on the World Cup and helping Portugal win the competition, but Marca claims that the forward was fully aware of discussions taking place between his team and Al-Nassr in the background.

Ronaldo struggled in Qatar, scoring just one goal and being benched for Portugal's final two games as they were eliminated by Morocco in the quarterfinals.

His advisors were negotiating a deal with Al-Nassr while all of this was going on.

Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes has handled his contract negotiations for a large portion of his career, but this time, Ricardo Regufe was instrumental in getting the five-time Ballon d'Or winner his lucrative contract.

The £175 million contract that Ronaldo signed makes him the highest-paid player in world football. It will keep him under contract until June 2025, when he will be 39.

As part of the promotion, his contract reportedly includes a clause that he will serve as an ambassador for Saudi Arabia's 2030 World Cup bid. In doing so, he may team up with longtime rival Lionel Messi.

Now that his Champions League career appears to be coming to an end, Ronaldo leaves behind an impressive record in the premier club competition in European football.

Ronaldo has scored 140 goals, which puts him 11 goals ahead of Messi as the competition's leading scorer.

Additionally, he was the champion of the Champions League five times, once with United and four times with Real Madrid between 2013-2014 and 2017-2018.

Source: Daily Mail