'Telling us openly..' Former Manchester United footballer Nani reveals shocking story on Cristiano Ronaldo's Madrid transfer

Cristiano Ronaldo has always been unreserved in expressing his emotions. In 2008, he boldly made his desire to move to Real Madrid from Manchester United—under Sir Alex Ferguson clear.

At just 18, Ronaldo was scouted in his homeland and brought to Manchester, where Ferguson played a pivotal role in nurturing his talent. Through guidance and development, Ronaldo transformed from a young, inexperienced winger into one of the game's most prolific forwards.

Nani recalled about Ronaldo's pre-transfer talks 

However, by 2009, as interest from European giants like Real Madrid grew, Ronaldo shared with his teammate Nani that he felt ready to take on new challenges and pursue his career beyond the Premier League.

"We would stay at the end of training to do competitions and they [Anderson and Ronaldo] were my team-mates, everyone has best friends or some they feel more comfortable with and they were my support," Nani said

"Some days he [Ronaldo] was telling us openly, 'I'm here six or seven years now, I think it's enough for me. But it was always, 'I will see, I will see, I will see', but we never thought it [Real Madrid move] would happen so fast. After we won the league in the second year he left, he produced a great season, so we were still surprised." Nani added.

Sir Alex on Ronaldo's transfer to Real Madrid 

Ronaldo's transfer saga was one of the most talked about chapters in football history, as highlighted in Ferguson's autobiography. He mentioned former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon as a key factor in retaining Ronaldo at Manchester United for an additional season before the eventual transfer took place. Ultimately, Real Madrid secured Ronaldo for £80m, a strategic move by president Florentino Perez to reinforce the club's status as a prominent force in the football world.

"Real Madrid paid £80m in cash for him [in 2009], and do you know why? It was a way for Florentino Perez, their president, to say to the world: 'We are Real Madrid. We are the biggest of the lot,'” Sir Alex recalled.

Sir Alex mentioned that he had made a strong commitment to keeping him on the team. He indicated that if Ronaldo continued to perform well and maintain a positive attitude, they would consider letting him go only if an extraordinary offer came in, one that set a world record.

By the end of the 2009 season, Ferguson's determination ultimately broke, leading to Ronaldo's undeniable transformation into a Galactico at the Bernabeu.