Atletico Madrid turned down the chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo this summer before the Portuguese striker returned to Manchester United, say reports.
The 36-year-old ended a three-year spell with Juventus to re-join his former club at the end of August, following months of transfer speculation about his future.
But reports in Spain suggest things could have gone very differently.
According to Carrusel Deportivo (via Sport), Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes offered the striker to Spanish champions Atleti as he looked for a new club.
But the capital club, rivals of Ronaldo’s former employers Real Madrid, said they didn’t want to sign him.
It was after this point that Mendes began focusing on the two Manchester clubs, City and United, and Ronaldo eventually joined the latter after coming close to the Citizens.
Atleti may well be rueing their decision after seeing the start Ronaldo has made to his second spell with the Red Devils.
The former Juve man scored twice on his debut against Newcastle United in the Premier League, before netting in both of his subsequent games against Young Boys and West Ham.
Diego Simeone’s side, meanwhile, have been held to 0-0 draws in their last two games, against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga and Porto in the Champions League.
The sight of Ronaldo in an Atleti shirt would undoubtedly have upset fans of Real, who saw the Portugal great lead them to four Champions League titles and become the club’s all-time top goalscorer over nine years at the Bernabeu.
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