Antonio Conte considered signing Cristiano Ronaldo at Tottenham Hotspur
Antonio Conte considered a surprise move to sign Cristiano Ronaldo at Tottenham Hotspur last year, as per Daily Mail. That was, of course, before he left the club by mutual in consent in March.
Ronaldo’s relationship with Manchester United fractured ever since manager Erik ten Hag’s arrival and it became clear that he was looking to move to a UEFA Champions League club. It didn’t happen.
Conte and the club then decided against signing him at Spurs. Eventually, Ronaldo moved to Al-Nassr and officially signed with them in January after leaving Manchester United by mutual consent in November.
It could have been a history-making move for Tottenham. Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival in N17 would have shot Spurs to global fame at a level they wouldn’t have known before.
Right move?
Make no mistake, Spurs are one of the most famous football teams in the world due to their merit. But Ronaldo brings with him a virtually unrivalled fan following.
Then again, it was probably the right call not to sign him. Firstly, it would have been very hard to see where he played, with Harry Kane the club’s undisputed No. 9.
Playing two strikers would have disturbed our system off the ball because it is well known that the 38-year-old isn’t the most effective player off the ball when his team are defending.
There is no doubt that Ronaldo would have added goals to the team because his finishing and ability to score goals are not up for debate. Spurs have been on the receiving end of his goals many times.
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But at what cost? Handing a big contract to a player at the dusk of his playing career would have also been a big financial risk. No regrets here.