Why did Bayern Munich turn down the chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo?

The possibility of signing Cristiano Ronaldo was discussed in the offices of Bayern Munich, according to Sport Bild, but a deal never came to fruition for the former Real Madrid and Juventus forward, who has spent much of the summer agitating for a move away from Manchester United. Among the topics Bayern looked at, beyond Ronaldo’s undoubted ability on the pitch, were: what would the Portugal captain bring to the club in terms of social media and marketing? How many shirts would they be able to sell around the world? Oliver Kahn, CEO of the Bundesliga champions, was quoted as saying: “We have discussed the issue internally, otherwise we would not be doing our job well.” The former Germany keeper added: “Personally, I think Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers ever.”

Ronaldo’s financial demands not part of Bayern’s philosophy

However, a deal to bring the Manchester United player to the Allianz Arena was never seriously considered and Kahn has now explained why. “We came to the conclusion that, despite the appreciation we all have for him, he would not have fit into our philosophy in the current situation.” Bayern are going through a period of refinancing and are famouslty pragmatic whwen it comes to salaries and transfer fees. Ronaldo’s huge salary demands (the Portuguese earns up €29 million at Old Trafford) and his superstar status were not deemed to be what Bayern needed this summer.

Hasan Salihamidzic, Bayern’s sporting director, meanwhile denied any talk of making a move for Ronaldo earlier in July. “I have great respect for Cristiano Ronaldo, his achievements and his career. But once again: it never was and never will be an issue for us”, he told Sport1.