Cristiano Ronaldo stuck at Manchester United for now

Cristiano Ronaldo appears not to be leaving Manchester United his summer after all. It means the Portuguese star will miss out on the Champions League. 

Despite several last-ditch efforts, Cristiano Ronaldo will not be playing in the group stage of the Champions League this season after the Portuguese star failed to secure a move ahead of Thursday’s transfer deadline day.

Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes had spent the better part of the past two months trying to get the striker a deal that would take him away from Manchester United a year after he had joined the Premier League club for $16.5 million from Juventus.

Ronaldo’s motivation for wanting to leave was after Man United had failed to qualify for the Champions League following last season’s sixth-place finish.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said on Wednesday that Ronaldo was not going anywhere — at least not until January when the winter transfer season opens.

Asked by a reporter if Ronaldo was going to stay, the manager replied, “That’s clear, of course.”

“We are on the same page,” he added. “Otherwise, [Ronaldo] wouldn’t be here.”

Only one formal overture was made for Ronaldo this summer and that came from Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal for $244 million, The Athletic reported (subscription required). Ronaldo rejected the offer because he wants to play in the UCL.

Ronaldo had been shopped around to several clubs, including Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Napoli. None of those teams, all competing in the Champions League that starts next Tuesday, were interested in Ronaldo.

Ronaldo has primarily been used as a sub this season, a sign he’s not an automatic starter and will have to fight for playing time this season. He is expected to start for Portugal at the World Cup come November.

While Ronaldo remains a goalscorer, he rarely tracks back to help the defense and can be a polarizing presence in the dressing room.

At Atletico Madrid, fans unveiled a banner earlier this summer — featuring the message “CR7 Not Welcome” — as the club’s president Enrique Cerezo confirmed they had nothing to worry about.

“I don’t know who invented the Cristiano story,” Cerezo told reporters, “but I’ll tell you that it’s practically impossible that he comes to Atletico de Madrid.”

Instead, Ronaldo will have to settle for playing at Old Trafford in the second-tier Europa League. Ronaldo is one of the greatest players in recent history, winning five Champions League and Ballon d’Or both five times.

Deadline day has already seen the Red Devils bolster their lineup following the arrival of Antony from Ajax. The Brazilian became the club’s fifth signing of the summer after, most notably, Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro.