The Atlético president reveals the truth about negotiating with Ronaldo in 2022 | Goal.com

Published on 13 Aug 2026 | Reading time: 2 minutes

Enrique Cerezo has broken his silence on reports that Atletico Madrid held talks with Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2022.

Back then, the Real Madrid legend was unsettled by his return to Manchester United, and Jorge Mendes was working the transfer market for possible destinations for the Portuguese Don.

Despite the rumours swirling at the time, Atletico were never a genuine option for the former Real Madrid man.

Sport newspaper carried Cerezo's remarks from an interview with the Kuwaiti programme Super, where he addressed the Ronaldo talk.

The Atleti president said: "The truth is that Cristiano Ronaldo could not have played with us."

He continued: "Ronaldo left Real Madrid because he wanted to keep playing."

Ronaldo moved to Juventus instead. He spent three seasons in Turin, winning two Serie A titles and the Coppa Italia.

Cerezo added: "The easiest option for him was to stay in the city he was living in, but in the end he went to Saudi Arabia, and that is where he plays now."

Notably, the Atletico president skipped over Ronaldo's later return to Manchester United before the switch to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

Ronaldo himself had shot down any link with Atletico at the time.

Back in the summer of 2022, he took to Instagram to respond to reports of a possible move to the Madrid club.

Cristiano wrote: "It's impossible that they don't talk about me one day. Otherwise the press wouldn't earn money. They know that if they don't lie they won't attract people's attention. Keep going, and one day you will hit the truth in one of the reports."

Diego Simeone followed suit a few months later. In October 2022, he denied any Atletico interest in the Portuguese striker.

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