It has been claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo's possible transfer to Atletico Madrid makes no sense amid reports that sections of the club's fanbase are protesting the Madrid-based team's apparent interest in the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Ronaldo Closing In On Next Move?
With the 37-year-old said to be pushing for an exit from Manchester United in this transfer window, reports suggest that his agent Jorge Mendes has already held talks with Atletico, city rivals of Ronaldo's former side Real Madrid.
The rumour has not been received well by all supporters of the LaLiga side, though, with parts of its fanbase taking to social media to request that the club withdraws its interest in the Portugal captain, using the hashtag "ContraCR7", which translates to "againstCR7".
Ex-footballer-turned-pundit Shaka Hislop has now chimed in on the possibility of Ronaldo joining forces with manager Diego Simeone, saying he can understand why there are protests surrounding the story.
"Atletico Madrid of all clubs? It's the one that makes the least sense to me," he told ESPN FC.
"Of all the clubs in world football that can afford Cristiano Ronaldo – and let's be honest, there's only a handful – Atletico doesn't make any sense at all.
"It makes no sense. Not just because of his time at Real but because of his own personal history with that club.
"I'm sure Atleti fans will embrace him and take him on if he becomes one of their own, and especially if he starts scoring goals, but right now they have protests around this.
"You can understand why. But football is a fickle game. Football fandom even more so. But I still don't see how this makes sense."
Ronaldo is reportedly back in Manchester to hold crunch talks with the Premier League club's board and manager Erik ten Hag, who is said to be determined to keep the Portuguese superstar at Old Trafford.
Here are all of United's confirmed deals in this transfer window so far:
