Cristiano Ronaldo: Real Madrid blasted for ‘historic error’

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REAL MADRID have been blasted for making an “historic error” with the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus.

The Portuguese star had hinted at a desire to leave the Bernabeu after the Champions League final in May but it was expected his comments were a ploy to force Real’s hand in contract negotiations.

But Ronaldo completed a move thought to be worth around £88million in joining Serie A champions Juve last week.

That was after the 33-year-old personally asked Real Madrid president Florentino Perez to green light his move, citing the desire to embark on a new challenge in his goodbye statement to Los Blancos supporters.

Ronaldo ends a nine-year spell in the Spanish capital having joined from Manchester United in 2009, since going on to lead their recent spell of European dominance with four Champions League triumphs in five years.

The iconic No 7 scored 450 goals in 438 appearances for the La Liga giants to become the club’s all-time top goalscorer.

And the club have now been criticised by ex-president Ramon Calderon, the man who oversaw Ronaldo’s £80m arrival in 2009, for what he claims will go down in history as a huge mistake.

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“It’s very sad that they have sold a player like Cristiano Ronaldo, it’s a real pity,” Calderon told Spanish news outlet AS.

“[Particularly] With what it cost me to sign him, the effort that we made to bring him to Madrid.

“Manchester [United] did not want to sell him and it was very difficult.

“And now they have sold him for €100million. There isn’t a player who scores 60 goals a year for you and is worth to you [only] €100m.

“Selling Cristiano is not good news, either for €100m or a billion.

“But it is true that we put a clause of a €1bn to discourage those interested in him in the future, but at the same time, to show that there was no other player like him.

“It’s an historic error.”

Ronaldo could come face-to-face with Real Madrid as early as August 4 when Juve face his former club in the International Champions Cup, a high-profile pre-season tournament in the United States.

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