It has been claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave Manchester United because he is worried Lionel Messi will overtake his incredible UEFA Champions League goalscoring record.

Ronaldo Linked With Three Clubs After 'Exit Request'

On the weekend, news outlets across Europe covered the news that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has told the Red Devils he wants to leave the club in this transfer window in order to be able to keep competing for top honours.

United's slow transfer window was cited as another reason for his request to be sold, with the ex-Real Madrid and Juventus forward deciding to not show up to pre-season training on Monday due to "family reasons".

Former professional footballer Tony Cascarino believes the 37-year-old is worried that spending a season out of the Champions League will give his longstanding rival Messi a chance to catch his remarkable goal record in the competition.

"Ronaldo is a player, as always, that has an ego," he told talkSPORT.

"A lot of it is about him but the teams he's played in have been successful, so you always go with that as a team player.

"Great, he scores goals, he gets the accolades, he's one of the greatest that's ever played the game. You can have all that and that's fine, as long as you're winning. When you don't win, now you've got a problem.

"I said to you off-air, I'm a bit suspicious because he's got 141 goals (sic) in the Champions League. Messi has got 125.

"He doesn't want to not play Champions League football because he wants to be the greatest Champions League goalscorer of all time, and that's how Ronaldo is made."

Ronaldo scored 24 goals in all competitions for United last season following his surprise return in August 2021, and has a year remaining on his contract in England.

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