Cristiano Ronaldo: Neymar one of TWO reasons behind Real Madrid transfer to Juventus

Posted Saturday, February 23, 2019 by Express.co.uk

Cristiano Ronaldo: Neymar one of TWO reasons behind Real Madrid transfer to Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo: Neymar played a part in Ronaldo's exit (Image: GETTY )

CRISTIANO RONALDO left Real Madrid after hearing that the club were willing to spend big on Neymar.

That’s according to former Los Blancos supremo Ramon Calderon, who has shed light on the star’s £99million exit.

Ronaldo left Real Madrid last summer to join Juventus after spending nine years at the Santiago Bernabeu where he won four Champions League titles.

After the 3-1 win over Liverpool in Kiev, links to Neymar resurfaced after reports claimed the Brazilian was unhappy at Paris Saint-Germain after just one season.

And now Calderon has revealed the world’s most expensive player had a part to play in Ronaldo’s Real Madrid exit.

“Cristiano asked for a raise after winning the Champions League and Florentino denied it,” he told Radio Villa Trinidad.

“Cristiano also got angry because he heard that Madrid would be willing to pay a lot of money for Neymar.

“Florentino told him that if he brought in a cheque for 100 million euros he would let him go and that's how it was.”

The 67-year-old also admitted that Florentino Perez found it hard to accept that Ronaldo was a signing of Calderon’s.

“Florentino did not accept that Cristiano was a signing of mine,” he added.

“I don’t deny that he has been a great president for Madrid, but he does not accept well the inheritances that he receives.

“The same thing happened to him with [Iker] Casillas, Raul, [Arjen] Robben and [Wesley] Sneijder.”

Former president Calderon also admitted that Zinedine Zidane was desperate to keep Ronaldo and sell Gareth Bale.

But Perez went against his wish doing the opposite and that ultimately led to the Frenchman’s resignation.

“Zidane made it very clear when he decided to leave the club,” Calderon told Bleacher Report.

“He insisted on keeping Cristiano and transferring Bale, and the president did completely the opposite.

“Zidane also wanted to sign some players and transfer others apart from Bale but he didn’t get [his wishes], so he decided to leave. And he was right.”