Barcelona fans can forget about Cristiano Ronaldo as a report now claims that rumors swirling about his transfer was just a prank.
Amid Manchester United's struggles, a report from Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo stated that Cristiano Ronaldo is offering himself to Barcelona. The article added that “the Portuguese is not comfortable in Manchester and has contacted [Barcelona manager] Xavi [Hernandez] through [Gerard] Piqué, while [his agent] Jorge Mendes is already negotiating with [Barcelona president Joan]Laporta” over his potential transfer.
However, follow up reports from Spain later revealed that it was all a “prank” as it was published on “Día de los Santos Inocentes” or the “Day of the holy innocents”–an famous holiday in the Catholic tradition, which commemorates the Massacre of the Innocents as told in the biblical Gospel of Matthew, per Barca Blaugranes.
The report noted that during this day, it has been a tradition “to play pranks or lighthearted jokes on gullible people or people who are too innocent to realize someone is not being serious.”
Ultimately, the said joke was so timely and almost real that renowned sports outlets, including ESPN published it online.
On a serious note, Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick earlier stressed that Ronaldo is a key figure in the club and he is willing to adjust for the players. With that in mind, the Red Devil will have to work things out in-house before considering any transfer.
“You always have to adapt your style or your idea of football to the players you have available, not vice versa,” Rangnick said via ESPN. “At [Ronaldo's] his age, I've never seen a player who is still that physically fit. He's still a player who can easily make the difference.”
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