How Sir Alex Ferguson blocked Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid move in 2008

Cristiano Ronaldo is back at Manchester United and he has already started scoring, netting four goals in three games. Fans of the Red Devils are rejoicing at his presence because he is a proven winner. Back in 2009, they were disappointed when he left for Real Madrid. His departure involved much drama and a war of words between the two clubs.

Cristiano Ronaldo took the Premier League and the Champions League by storm in 2008. He scored a total of 42 goals that season, winning both titles. The Portugal international was on track to win the Ballon d'Or, football's most coveted individual award.

Ronaldo's desire to play for Real Madrid

Ronaldo's signing was a statement of intent by Florentino Perez about his continuation of his galactio project.

It was always Ronaldo's wish to play for Real Madrid. Sir Alex Ferguson said as much in his autobiography. He stated that the Funchal native always wished to return to the Iberian Peninsula and wear the famous old white shirt worn by Alfredo di Stefano.

Even Nani, a compatriot and Manchester United teammate of the Portuguese star, spoke openly about Ronaldo's desire to play for Real Madrid. Speaking on the UTD podcast, he said:

"Some days, he [Ronaldo] was telling us openly, 'I'm here six or seven years now, I think it's enough for me'. He said that a couple of times. "But it was always, 'I will see, I will see, I will see', but we never thought it [Real Madrid move] would happen so fast. After we won the league in the second year, he left. He produced a great season so we were still surprised."

War of words between Manchester United and Real Madrid over Ronaldo

Sir Alex was not prepared to let Ronaldo leave, triggering a battle of words between the two clubs.

After Manchester United won the Champions League in 2008, the then Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon publicly expressed his desire to sign him. Sir Alex was not impressed by Calderon's comments. He felt that his words were disrespectful towards United.

Sir Alex announced that Real Madrid were trying to bully Manchester United into selling him. He even went as far as to take a dig at their history, calling it General Franco's (the Spanish Dictator's) club. The Scot probably knew he would be powerless to stop Ronaldo from leaving if Real Madrid dangled a world-record transfer fee.

Ronaldo personally communicated to Sir Alex that he wanted to join Los Blancos, but the manager made his intentions clear. As mentioned in his autobiography, he said:

You can't go this year, not after the way Calderon has approached the issue. I know you want to go to Real Madrid, but I'd rather shoot you than sell you to that guy now. If you perform, don't mess us about, and someone comes and offers us a world record fee, then we will let you go.

Sir Alex's resentment towards Real Madrid over Ronaldo

Sir Alex tried everything in his power to prevent Ramon Calderon from signing Cristiano Ronaldo.

Sir Alex was understandably annoyed with Real Madrid because they were after his star player. Ramon Calderon's behavior left a bad taste in his mouth. Although Ronaldo's move to Los Blancos seemed inevitable, he completely blocked the negotiations. It was clear that Ronaldo was going nowhere in 2008.

The resentment against Real Madrid was so strong in the Manchester United camp that Ronaldo was offered to Clasico rivals FC Barcelona instead. However, there was never any doubt where Ronaldo wanted to go, and the deal was completed in 2009.

Ronaldo's departure and return

Inevitably, Florentino Perez, the new president of Real Madrid, came and broke the transfer record by shelling out a remarkable £80 million. Ronaldo's departure to the Bernabeu started the number 7 curse for Manchester United. Every player who wore the iconic jersey — from Michael Owen to Alexis Sanchez — failed to perform.

For the United faithful, Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford holds hope that the number 7 curse will finally be broken, and with it, success will follow. The fans are optimistic and so are the players. The Portuguese has already begun his second stint with the club in top form and great things are expected from him and the club this season.