09 February 2024 , 11:09
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Cristiano Ronaldo is being lined up for a return to the Santiago Bernabeu, according to reports, with Real Madrid keen on welcoming one of their greatest players back for the refurbished stadium’s grand opening.
Real president Florentino Perez wants to invite Al-Nassr, Ronaldo’s present side, to the new Bernabeu once the ground’s extensive renovations are completed.
While no exact date has been pencilled in with building work still ongoing, the game could take place during next season’s winter break, Spanish media say,
And there is already high anticipation that it could see Ronaldo come up against Kylian Mbappe, should he complete his move from Paris Saint-Germain. Mbappe has previously described Ronaldo as his idol.
The Portuguese star spent nine years at Real, having joined from Manchester United - scoring 450 goals in 438 appearances.
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Ronaldo won 15 trophies while in Madrid, including four Champions League titles, with his rivalry with Barcelona ’s Lionel Messi the sport’s defining story of the century so far.
But the five-time Ballon d’Or winner left the club for Juventus in 2018 citing an alleged lack of support from Perez.
Yet bridges appeared to have been rebuilt since and his return for a friendly would bring significant global media attention.
Work on the Bernabeu’s renovations began in 2019 but it has experienced significant delays owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia ’s illegal attempted invasion of Ukraine.
Cristiano Ronaldo could head back to Real Madrid to play a landmark friendly at the end of this year. (An Lingjun/CHINASPORTS/VCG via Getty Images)Costs have also spiralled with the final bill expected to be not far off £1bn. A new retractable roof and skywalk has been installed, with the maximum attendance increased to 85,000.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo's Al-Nassr were on the wrong end of a 2-0 to Al-Hilal in the final of the Riyadh Season Cup yesterday. Chants of "Messi, Messi, Messi" could be heard towards the end of the game and Ronaldo was seen angrily throwing a scarf back at a supporter as he made his way off the pitch at full time.
As Al-Hilal gave the runners up a guard of honour, a tournament official appeared to get in the way of Ronaldo. He waved his hands in frustration and was evidently annoyed that the staff member walked in his path while the ex-Real Madrid man was trying to lead his team through.
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