Atletico Madrid fans have urged the club to rule out signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United, displaying a protest at a pre-season friendly and warning that he is the “antithesis of the club’s values of modesty and humility”.
Atletico have been one of the clubs linked to signing Ronaldo since it was reported that the 37-year-old wanted to leave Manchester United this summer and the Portuguese international’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has used the Spanish club to stoke up interest.
Ronaldo had a successful spell playing with Atletico’s city rivals Real Madrid and had a fractious relationship with their fans during his time in Spain. Ronaldo also has a history of scoring important goals against Atletico, including the winning penalty in the 2016 Champions League final.