Exciting details revealed: how close Ronaldo came to joining Bayern | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo in a Bayern jersey? Three years ago, this scenario was actually possible. As has now been revealed, the Portuguese superstar was offered to both FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund in 2022. Oliver Kahn confirms for the first time that a transfer was internally discussed at Säbener Straße – but in the end, the idea failed due to the club's philosophy.

In the summer of 2022, Ronaldo was on the verge of leaving Manchester United. Under coach Erik ten Hag, the five-time World Player of the Year no longer had a place, and his agent Jorge Mendes was desperately seeking a new challenge for the then 37-year-old.

This also brought the Bundesliga into focus. Mendes offered Ronaldo to both FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund. The rumors caused a great stir at the time – now the book Transfer Insider by BILD football chief Christian Falk provides confirmation.

Oliver Kahn, then CEO of the record champions, explains in the book: "We discussed the topic – otherwise we wouldn't be doing our job well." For Kahn, it was clear: Ronaldo is one of the best players of all time. "The now 40-year-old is one of the best footballers ever to have existed on this planet."

Despite all admiration, the sporting leadership around Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic came to a clear conclusion. "We concluded that despite all appreciation, he would not have fit into our philosophy in the current situation," said Kahn.

Thus, Ronaldo's dream of ending his career in Munich burst. According to BILD, Mendes had informed the Bayern bosses that it was a heartfelt matter for Ronaldo to play for the German record champions. Alternatively, FC Chelsea was also on his list.

CR7 also a topic in Dortmund

The offer from Mendes was also on the table in Dortmund. Particularly in the marketing area, CEO Carsten Cramer examined the documents presented by the agent. Mendes had detailed the potential effects of Ronaldo's transfer – from social media reach to increased stock prices and skyrocketing jersey sales.

But the calculation didn't work out for BVB. According to BILD, there weren't even enough jerseys in stock to meet such high demand. Additionally, Ronaldo's salary demands would have been hardly manageable for Borussia.

In the end, neither Bayern nor Dortmund opted for the superstar. While Ronaldo later made his way to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, the Bundesliga remained without the grand CR7 spectacle.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.