‘Perez did not behave well with me… there was no going back’: Cristiano Ronaldo shares details of Real Madrid exit

Despite a slightly bitter ending at Madrid, Ronaldo said he still respects Perez and doesn’t rule out returning to Santiago Bernabeu after retirement.

Cristiano Ronaldo opened up on his exit from Real Madrid and mega transfer to Juventus in 2018. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner shocked the footballing world with his decision to leave Madrid after playing a pivotal role in their Champions League-winning campaign to make it a three-peat with Zinedine Zidane in charge of the side. The Los Blancos let Ronaldo join Italian giants Juventus for a whopping 112m euros (£99.2m) as the Portuguese superstar signed a four-year deal.

Ronaldo shared some details of his transfer process from Madrid to Juventus and revealed that club president Florentino Perez didn’t treat him well during the negotiations, but he has no grudges against him.

“In the negotiations phase when I was leaving Real Madrid, Florentino did not behave well with me. I understood that, because that is always his style. I left Real Madrid because I wanted a new chapter. I told Perez about it, he accepted, but later he tried to come back, and there was no going back for me, because I had given my word to Juventus,” Ronaldo said in an interview with Edu Aguirre.

Despite a slightly bitter ending at Madrid, Ronaldo said he still respects Perez as he treated him well during his time at club and doesn’t rule out returning to Santiago Bernabeu after retirement.

“I appreciate and respect Florentino. , he is a trustworthy president and a serious person, and he treated me well. We won many titles with him, and I respect him a lot. I still speak with him occasionally, and I don’t rule out returning one day when I finish my career to do something cool,” he added.

Ronaldo left Madrid as the club’s all-time top scorer, with a tally of 451 goals in 438 games. During his time at the Bernabeu, he won four Champions Leagues, two La Liga titles, and two Copa del Reys.

The 40-year-old said that Madrid still hold a special place in his heart and his son Mateo is also a big supporter of the club.

“My children grew up there, my friends are there, and I played for Madrid. I will always hold Madrid in my heart; it’s where I was happiest. My son Mateo is a big supporter of Madrid and often teases me, saying Mbappé is better than I am,” he said.