Cristiano Ronaldo may never have been headed to Manchester City at all amid rumours ahead of his eventual move back to Old Trafford.
Ronaldo returned to Manchester United after 12 years this summer after cutting his Juventus stay short, but ahead of his return, Man City were the favourites to land him.
Before there was any mention of United, City were the club expected to sign Ronaldo as they looked to replace outgoing club legend Sergio Aguero.
But it was the Reds who wound up pulling off a late move, and it seems it was always Ronaldo’s intention to return to Old Trafford.
Or at least that’s according to his mother, Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro.
“On the TV there was talk of Manchester City, but he said to me ‘Mom, don’t worry about what they’re saying because I’m going to Manchester [United],” she told the ADN de Leão podcast.
“I said I liked that a lot and he pleased me.”
That would suggest the City talk was just speculation, or at the very most a clever tactic from Ronaldo’s representatives to get United’s backside in gear.
Regardless, it has worked out well for Ronaldo and United, and the Portuguese superstar is already off to a flyer, scoring four times in his first three appearances.