Massimiliano Mirabelli reveals AC Milan had a deal for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018
By OnzeActu · · 2 min read
Massimiliano Mirabelli, former sporting director of AC Milan, revealed that the Italian club was very close to recruiting Cristiano Ronaldo in January 2018. An agreement was reached with Real Madrid and agent Jorge Mendes, motivated by the Portuguese's ambition to win the Europa League, but the transaction collapsed following a withdrawal from Chinese leaders.
In January 2018, AC Milan came close to the feat of acquiring Cristiano Ronaldo, as its former sporting director Massimiliano Mirabelli recently revealed. The latter confided that agreements had been reached with Real Madrid and the player's agent, Jorge Mendes, but that the project ended up falling through following the hesitation of the Chinese group that owns the club.
The initiative was launched during the Champions League final in Cardiff between Juventus and Madrid, where Milan representatives met Jorge Mendes. “We developed this proposal, this idea, and Cristiano found it very attractive,” Mirabelli told Goal.
“When we spoke, with Fassone and also Gattuso, he told me: ‘I will come to Milan. I've never played in the Europa League and I'm coming to win it.' » This declaration gives a new dimension to this aborted transfer, revealing the motivation of the Portuguese who aimed for the Europa League, despite the absence of the Champions League.
“He had a lot of motivation, he didn't minimize the fact that he wouldn't come to play in the Champions League, but he wanted to win the Europa League. He was very motivated. »
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Real Madrid asked for 100 million euros, with room for downward negotiation, and the personal conditions had been accepted by the player. Everything was almost complete. “We had reached an agreement with Real, with Jorge Mendes concerning the player. Everything was OK,” Mirabelli said.
Unfortunately, the will of the Chinese owners was lacking. “But ultimately it didn’t come to fruition. The Chinese have withdrawn. »
Cristiano Ronaldo then joined Juventus that summer for a transfer worth around 100 million euros, a move that had a profound impact on Italian football for three seasons.
This testimony sheds light on a little-known page of the 2018 transfer window, which could have shaken up the landscape of European football with the arrival of the five-time Ballon d'Or at AC Milan.
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