Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has been surrounded by transfer rumours before the beginning of the current season and recently the Portuguese captain was linked with a move to Brazilian club Flamengo. However, Flamengo president Rodolfo Landim has derided the reports saying Ronaldo would only get on their bench.
The 37-year-old Ronaldo desired to leave Manchester United in the summer, but the club and coach Erik Ten Hag denied his transfer. The Red Devils defeated Real Sociedad in their last group stage fixture at the UEFA Europa League 2022-23 and qualified for the playoffs after finishing second in the group.
While talking at the Papo Reto podcast, Landim ridiculed the possibility of Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival at the Brazilian club, as reported by Record. Landim said, "I don't know where it came from but they have a lot of creativity. First of all, I ask: For whose place? It's to be on the bench."
Flamengo president then threw lights on the enormous salaries European clubs offer their star players, which is high above comparison from the Brazilian clubs. He asserted, "From what I've read on the internet, I don't know if it's true or not, he would have been offered $242million [£215m] for a two-year contract. Divided by 24 months, that's about $10m a month. Talk about a value far above the entire salary sheet of Flamengo for Cristiano Ronaldo."
At the end, Landim terminated all the speculations as he said, "To be Pedro or Gabigol's [Gabriel Barbosa] substitute? I can't… nobody here is going to go crazy things. The amateur time of managing, of thinking that in the future we'll pay the bills, that no longer exists. There is no possibility of taking a step that is not firm."
Meanwhile, Flamengo defeated fellow Brazilian club Athletic Paranaense 1-0 last weekend to win their third Copa Libertadores title as Gabriel Barbosa scored the winning goal.
