Atletico Madrid fans display “CR7 Not Welcome” banner during friendly match

DUBAI: Atletico Madrid fans expressed their rejection of any move by their club to sign Cristiano Ronaldo by displaying a “CR7 Not Welcome” banner during a friendly match on Wednesday. During Atletico Madrid’s friendly against third-level side Club Deportivo Numancia, fans protested about the rumor linking Ronaldo to Atleti by posting a huge white-banner that read “CR7 Not Welcome.” The banner could be clearly seen behind one of the goals during the match that ended with Atletico Madrid beating Numancia 4-0, Spanish media reported.

During this year’s summer transfer window, the 37-year-old Portuguese forward, who has played for 19 consecutive years in the Champions League, has been linked with Roma, Napoli, PSG, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and most recently with Atletico Madrid. The major foes of CR7’s former club, Real Madrid, Atleti have become the latest possible destination and probably the most credible due to the strong ties between Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes and the club.

No serious bids or official contracts have been presented by the other clubs to Ronaldo, who seems to have been rejected by many European giant clubs so far. During his near decade-long tenure at Real Madrid, Ronaldo won two Champions League finals against Atletico, a result that clearly irritates Atleti fans.

Meanwhile, when he played for Juventus in 2019 during their 16th-round first-leg match against Atletico and lost 2-0, Portugal’s captain infuriated Atleti fans further with his famous media statement: “I won five Champions Leagues and these guys zero.” In the second leg, CR7 went on to score a hat trick that saw Juventus eliminate Atletico on a 3–2 aggregate. In a recent statement, Atletico Madrid’s President Enrique Cerezo seemed to rule out