Ronaldo in a Barcelona shirt? Calderon reveals the backstage of the "deal of the century" that almost brought the "CR7" together with Messi

Backstage of the deal.. Ronaldo almost wore a Barcelona shirt to play alongside Messi

Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo had a larger financial offer from Barcelona, but the Portuguese star preferred to move to the royal team.

Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Real Madrid in July 2009, beginning an era that lasted nine seasons during which he won everything with the royal team, but what was unknown until now is that the deal was on the verge of collapse, and that Ronaldo almost wore a Barcelona shirt to play alongside Lionel Messi.

Calderon revealed, during his appearance on the "Ingenious" podcast on YouTube, 16 years after the deal that changed the history of Real Madrid, details that have never been told before, indicating that Barcelona made a financial offer exceeding what Real Madrid offered.

He explained: "Barcelona offered Cristiano Ronaldo a larger amount. There was a real possibility of him moving to Barcelona and joining Messi."

He added: "Sir Alex Ferguson, then Manchester United coach, did not want Ronaldo to move to Real Madrid due to his tense relationship with the club. He told him at the time: (Okay, you will leave, but to Barcelona). Ronaldo replied: (No, I have reached an agreement with Real Madrid, with Ramon Calderon, and I will move to Real Madrid)."

The biggest surprise was the position of Florentino Perez after his return to the club presidency. Calderon explained: "When Florentino arrived and saw the contract, he did not want to complete the deal. He did not even want to present it to the union. Those around him convinced him that the matter was something crazy. Florentino does not easily accept inheriting a deal he did not complete himself. This is a small problem he has."

He pointed out that the relationship between Perez and Ronaldo was never good from the start, and even the player's departure in 2018 was not with the president's approval. He revealed: "He also did not accept the departure. Perez agreed on the condition that the player bring a check worth 100 million euros, because he thought that was impossible, and when the player arrived with the check, there was no room for retreat."