Manchester United forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, has revealed he was close to moving to Manchester City last summer, saying his former boss, Sir Alex Ferguson’s intervention stopped him from joining the Premier League champions.

Ronaldo stated that other clubs were interested in signing him from Juventus in 2021, noting that he followed “his heart” and rejoined United, despite them not initially being in the running for him.

He said this in an interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV, released on Wednesday.

The 37-year-old player said: “Well, honestly, it [moving to City] was close. They spoke a lot and Guardiola said two weeks ago that they tried hard to have me.

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“But, as you know, my history is in Manchester United. Your heart, you’re feeling the way you did before, and it made the difference. And of course, as well, Sir Alex Ferguson. It was a conscious decision because the heart speaks loud in that moment.

“I think it [speaking with Ferguson] was the key. I wouldn’t say that Manchester City wasn’t close. But I think, I did [make] a conscious decision. I don’t regret at some point.

“And as you mentioned before, Sir Alex Ferguson was the key. I spoke with him… He said to me that ‘It’s impossible for you to come to Manchester City’. And I said ‘OK, Boss’.

“So I took the decisions and I repeat: I was with conscience that it was a good decision.

“It was a good moment, nobody expected it. Things changed around in 72 hours. You plan or they spoke, not only Man City but other clubs too. Manchester United wasn’t part of those teams but it surprised everybody, even me,” Ronaldo stated.

The Star