Why I signed Cristiano Ronaldo - Ole Gunnar Soskjaer

Former Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has for the first time spoken about his time at the club since he got fired.

The Norwegian was speaking in an exclusive phone interview with the Athletic about life at the club and most especially his reason for signing Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese international was not happy with the way things were at Juventus during the 2021 summer transfer window and he was looking for a new club before the window closed.

There were a lot of offers for Ronaldo according to reports he was close to joining Manchester City until Sir Alex Ferguson stepped into the situation and that convinced the laster to join the Red Devils.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the interview revealed that he could not resist the opportunity to sign Ronaldo because it felt like the best thing at that time.

'It was a decision that was very difficult to turn down and I felt we had to take it, but it turned out wrong. It felt so right when he signed and the fans felt that at that Newcastle game when Old Trafford was rocking (after Ronaldo scored twice in a 4-1 win). He was still one of the best goalscorers in the world, he was looking strong."

Ole was sacked midway into the 2021/22 season after results began to get worse for the club across all competitions, especially in the Premier League. Ralf Ragnick was appointed as his replacement as a caretaker manager until the end of the season.

Ronaldo's first season at Old Trafford during his return felt like a marriage made in heaven as he led them to a Europa League spot. However, things went downhill when Erik Ten Hag was appointed as the new manager in the summer of 2022 which led to Ronaldo leaving in January 2023.