Although it is well-known that Cristiano Ronaldo always wanted to join Real Madrid, one of the main reasons for his exit from Manchester United appears to have now been revealed by one of his former teammates.
The Portuguese joined Los Blancos in a then-world record transfer in 2009, but his move did not come as a surprise as, a year before after the UEFA Champions League final in 2008, Ronaldo seemed to hint at his desire to join the Spanish giants.
Sir Alex Ferguson persuaded the forward to remain at United for another season, but there was nothing that could make the player commit his long-term future to the club.
Ronaldo eventually joined Real, and Gary Neville, his former colleague in Manchester, believes he had grown tired of the country's cold and rainy weather conditions.
"I think, because he did the interview after the 2008 final, where he sort of alluded to the fact that he was going, it was almost like you had an advanced warning," he said on Sky Sports' Off Script podcast.
"So you were almost already prepared for it, you knew he was leaving the year after.
"It was coming, it was obvious that one day he would want to go and experience (Real) Madrid and LaLiga.
"I didn't speak to Cristiano, for instance, about him staying at the club for longer. I think I may have said to him during the year when he was maybe… the weather was a big problem for Cristiano.
"I think he also wanted to obviously live in Spain and do LaLiga.
"But the weather was a big problem for him, and I felt like he'd almost travelled his path, he'd done the journey."
Ronaldo spent six years with the Red Devils, scoring 118 goals and assisting a further 69 strikes along the way.
