Almost 37 years old
Cristiano Ronaldo blocked the Instagram account of football database website Transfermarkt last year after taking offence at the valuation they had given him.
In March 2020, Transfermarkt published a ‘Jorges Mendes XI’ on Instagram, featuring players who are represented by the Portuguese super agent.
Ronaldo, then at Juventus, was the spearhead of the attack and was handed a valuation of €75million.
However, after publishing the graphic on social media, Transfermarkt commented on their own post saying, ‘We can’t tag Ronaldo because he blocked us after he saw his market value’ and they have now disclosed what exactly happened.
“He sent a message first to our social media guys,” Christian Swartz, Tranfermarkt’s coordinator, told The Athletic.
“They answered him, explained why, and told him, ‘The people in your own age group, you are by far the number one’.
“I think it was £30-50 million difference (between Ronaldo and the next player on the list), and then he sent some smilies, and then he blocked us.”
Ronaldo was actually the second-most expensive player in the team, behind €100m-rated Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva.
Over a year later, the Portuguese star left Juventus to rejoin Manchester United in a deal thought to be worth around £19.8m.
However, the fee was influenced by the Old Lady’s desire to get the forward off their books as they struggled with the financial impact of the pandemic.
The former Real Madrid man, who turns 37 next month, has registered 19 goals in 28 games for club and country this season.
While he signed a two-year deal at Old Trafford, it remains to be seen whether he will fulfil his contract in Manchester, with reports consistently suggesting the striker is unhappy at the club.
The Red Devils currently find themselves fourth in the Premier League table, but they are just two points ahead of Tottenham, who have two games in hand.
Related links:
- Luke Shaw’s old tweet about Man Utd teammate Ronaldo resurfaces on social media
- Cristiano Ronaldo’s Man United contract contains £1million Champions League clause
- Ralf Rangnick backs decision to sub Ronaldo during Brentford game
