Patrice Evra has revealed Cristiano Ronaldo wanted to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2018 – which could well have ruined his plans to return to Manchester United in 2021.. Evra, who played alongside Ronaldo at United for three years before the Portuguese star’s record £80million (€94m) transfer to Real Madrid, claimed that PSG was on Ronaldo’s radar. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner played for United for six seasons, winning three Premier League titles, one Champions League and various other personal honours before heading to Spain to sign for Madrid.. After almost a decade of success with Real, including four Champions League trophies, two La Liga titles, three UEFA Supercups and three FIFA Club World Cups, Ronaldo was on the hunt for a new challenge in 2018.. READ MORE: ‘You never know’ – Cristiano Ronaldo opens door to sensational Man City January transfer. READ MORE: Manchester United have an unexpected transfer priority they did not want for summer. Evra told Rothen s’enflamme that Ronaldo was particularly drawn to the project at PSG, which boasted an impressive attacking lineup of Edinson Cavani, Neymar Jr and superstar Kylian Mbappe – who joined them from Monaco in 2018.. Evra said: “Has Cristiano ever wanted to come to PSG? Yes. Before he signed for Juventus, he would have signed for Paris. He wanted to come to PSG. He had options. Chelsea, Juventus, Paris, Arsenal never. He said he would never go to Arsenal. But he was interested in the PSG project.”. Ronaldo’s potential move to PSG may have realigned his thoughts on returning to Manchester in 2021, as this discovery comes just a few years after Messi’s high-profile transfer from Barcelona to PSG on a free that year.. It seems that Ronaldo, 39, ultimately chose not to pursue the PSG option and headed to Italy to play for Juventus instead. But the idea of him joining forces with the likes of Cavani, Neymar and Mbappe remains an intriguing ‘what if’ in the world of football transfers.. Ronaldo and Messi could’ve played together in France (Image: Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images). Messi, 37, impressed in the forward line for Paris Saint-Germain between 2021 and 2023, netting 32 goals and providing 34 assists over 75 matches. Evra also commented on Messi’s stint in Paris, claiming that Ronaldo would have been a better fit for PSG than the former Barcelona maestro.. Evra said: “If you look at Messi’s stats, he had a great season. I think Messi hated France. He said in an interview that he wanted to leave. You can criticise Cristiano Ronaldo all you want, but he would have adapted, like he did in Saudi Arabia. He would have made an effort. Look at what he is doing in Saudi Arabia.”. While there was once speculation about the possibility of Ronaldo and Messi playing together in Paris, the stars never aligned for these two football giants to pair up for PSG.. Try MUFC Pro NOW for free. Subscribe to our brilliant app for the best way to enjoy the M.E.N’s unrivalled Manchester United coverage.. No adverts, pop-ups or distractions – just our brilliant content presented in the best way possible.. Comprehensive, round-the-clock coverage of the Reds, with agenda-setting breaking news and insight from Samuel Luckhurst and our authoritative team of United writers. Exclusive content for subscribers. New interactive elements including (coming soon) quizzes to test your United knowledge.. Try MUFC Pro for a front-row seat to the action at absolutely no cost for the first month. You can get started by downloading our app here on iPhone, or here on Android. If you already have our app, click on the ”MUFC Pro’,’ Subscribe’ or ‘ Remove ads’ links.. *Free trial auto renews at £19.99 annually unless cancelled. T&C’s apply. Ad-free indicates that you will not be shown standard display ad formats with the articles that you read, selected articles may contain commercial messages/affiliate links where contractually required.. Instead, Ronaldo headed to Juventus and won two Serie A titles, plus one Coppa Italia trophy. He then made a highly-anticipated return to United in the Premier League, scoring 24 goals across all competitions in his first season back.. He then moved to Saudi Arabia to play for Al-Nassr after falling out with ex-Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag, and continues to play his club football there to this day.. Meanwhile, Messi left PSG for the United States in 2023, where he now plays for Inter Miami under David Beckham’s ownership.. Sign up to our United newsletter so you never miss an update from Old Trafford this season.
