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Football agent Alessandro Moggi has revealed that former Lazio president Sergio Cragnotti turned down the chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo early in his career.
Although Lazio were fairly successful under Cragnotti's tenure, winning the Seria A and the European Cup Winner's Cup, the Italian entreprenuer will surely be ruing his decision to pass up on the Portuguese star.
Moggi revealed to Calciomercato that Cragnotti was given the option of picking up Ronaldo but refused, saying:
"Mendes was a good friend of [ex-sporting director Gianmarco] Calleri , we proposed Cristiano to [then-president Sergio] Cragnotti, but he answered that he didn’t want him, that he would have wanted the ‘real’ Ronaldo, so there wasn’t even a negotiation."
Looking back, Lazio will regret not signing Cristiano Ronaldo, who went on to win five Ballon d'Or awards along with numerous other accolades and is considered one of the best players in the history of the sport. The Serie A club have done decently well in the Italian top-flight, but nothing in comparison to the trophies won by the Portuguese forward.
Cristiano Ronaldo's decorated career
Ronaldo proved his worth in a friendly against Manchester United back in 2003 while playing for Sporting Lisbon. Then-United manager Sir Alex Ferguson tapped the young winger and converted him into a dangerous goal-scoring forward over the next six years.
Cristiano Ronaldo won the Premier League, the Champions League and numerous other trophies along with one Ballon d'Or during his first spell at Old Trafford. He left for Real Madrid for €97 million, what was a world-record fee at that point.
Ronaldo's move to join Los Blancos was a historic moment as h4 joined the all-time greats during his spell at the club. He broke numerous goal-scoring records, winning multiple Champions Leagues and La Ligas, and adding four more Ballon d'Or awards to his personal cabinet.
Ronaldo left Real Madrid and joined Juventus in 2018 for €117 million, where he scored 100+ goals in less than 140 games before rejoining Manchester United in 2021. He had a personally successful first season at the club, scoring 24 goals in 37 games but his relationship drastically deteriorated in this campaign.
It led to the veteran forward leaving for Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr in a blockbuster move that will reportedly earn the star over $200 million a year. He has made a fine start to his life in the Asian league, notching up eight goals already. Cristiano Ronaldo is also a record goal scorer on the international stage, helping Portugal win the Euro Cup in 2019.
