REAL MADRID
When Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale “agreed” to leave Real Madrid in 2013
Former Manchester United captain Patrice Evra recounts an exciting conversation he had with Sir Alex Ferguson.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale were part of a long history at Real Madrid. Both the Portuguese and the Welshman can boast of having experienced a golden era at the Santiago Bernabéu, lifting several LaLiga and Champions League titles. However, the attacking duo nearly did not fulfill that cycle. In 2013, according to Evra, they had agreed to join Manchester United.
The Frenchman, captain of the Red Devils during that period, recounts Alex Ferguson’s attempt to revive United. After failing to bring Cristiano and Bale to the team, the Scottish manager said goodbye.
“It was one of the saddest days,” Evra said on the Obi One podcast about the day Sir Alex decided to retire as United’s manager. “I didn’t cry, I was in shock.” The former player, however, recalls a situation with the coach. When everyone thought he was finished, he had an ace up his sleeve to fight for the Champions League again.
“The reason is that two weeks earlier he took me to his office and said: ‘Look at these people, they think I'm going to retire, that I'm going to be here for another 10 years... But we do need to win more Champions Leagues. ’”
“Ferguson told me: ‘Patrice, Cristiano is 99 percent in agreement to return and Bale too.’”
“The reason is that two weeks earlier he took me to his office and said: ‘Look at those people, they think I’m going to retire, that I’ll be here for another 10 years… but we need to win more Champions Leagues.’”
“Ferguson confessed to me: ‘Patrice, Cristiano Ronaldo is 99 percent in agreement to return and Gareth Bale too.’ He needed 200 million pounds and the club refused to provide it. Now they have spent a billion, it doesn’t matter.”
“I remember when I left his office, I thought: ‘Cristiano is back, and Gareth Bale, we’re back in business. Imagine that. That’s what he said,” Evra argued.
Ultimately, Cristiano and Bale continued writing their history at Real Madrid. In the case of the Portuguese, it was until 2018 when he completed his transfer to Juventus. Life’s twists and turns brought him back to Old Trafford in 2020, but nothing was the same. As for Bale, the Welshman joined Madrid and saw out his contract with the club until 2022, with a year on loan at Tottenham.