It is believed that Real Madrid’s president once threatened Cristiano Ronaldo, who wanted to leave at the time, using FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi’s name.  

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According to France Football, the 33-year-old wanted to quit Real for Paris Saint-Germain in 2012, an idea Florentino Perez was not happy about.

It is said that the Real president was informed of text messages that Ronaldo had sent to a close friend, where he confessed he was considering leaving Los Blancos.

The report claims that Perez told Ronaldo that he would respond by paying Messi’s €200 million (R2.9 billion) release clause at Barca.

This reportedly deterred the Portuguese forward from forcing an exit from the European giants, as he did not wish to see his rival take his place.

Ronaldo has had nine phenomenal years at Real since his arrival in 2009, where he has scored 429 goals in 422 matches.

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The talisman has won 14 trophies in Spain, including three UEFA Champions Leagues.

Do you think Ronaldo made the right decision to stay at Real? Let us know in the comments section below.