River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo revealed that he tried to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to the Argentine club for the 2025 Club World Cup, but Ronaldo refused.
River Plate isn’t the only club that has tried to sign Ronaldo and been rejected. The president of Wydad Casablanca previously announced that he had tried the Portuguese legend three times, but all attempts failed.
In media statements about Ronaldo’s arrival at River Plate, Gallardo said, “In mid-March, I told Ronaldo: ‘I’m going to play in the Club World Cup. You’re a player who made an era in the history of football… Aren’t you thinking about trying this experience?'”
He added, “I felt that he appreciated this proposal, evaluated it, and considered it. But he later responded by saying: ‘I have to focus on preparing for next season.'”
Gallardo’s statements are in line with what Ronaldo himself previously announced, that he received numerous offers and rejected them all because he was thinking long-term and didn’t want to join one club for a month and then move on to another.
It’s worth noting that Brazilian clubs also tried to sign Ronaldo, and his name was also linked to Al-Ahly of Egypt and Esperance Sportive de Tunis. The most logical destination was Al-Hilal, but negotiations collapsed at the last minute.
