Will the dream reunion be realized?

Spain's 'Mundo Deportivo' reported on the 5th (Korea time) that "Cristiano Ronaldo hopes to acquire a club in Spain's La Liga. The target is Valencia," adding that "the owner of Valencia, Peter Lim, is facing immense criticism from local fans. Coincidentally, Ronaldo, who has a friendship with him, may consider acquiring the club."

Ronaldo, who is playing for Al Nassr, is under contract until June 30. However, he is more interested in participating in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup than signing a new contract with Al Nassr. The 2025 Club World Cup will take place in the United States, one of the host countries of the North and Central America World Cup scheduled for 2026. However, as Al Nassr has not secured a spot, Ronaldo's decision to stay has become uncertain.

Ronaldo is showing a willingness to sign with one of the teams participating in the Club World Cup instead of Al Nassr. He is under contract with Al Nassr until the end of June. Therefore, participating in the Club World Cup, which will take place from June 15 to July 13, seems difficult.

However, the system has been improved to allow player acquisitions only for teams participating in the Club World Cup from June 1 to June 10. Ronaldo wants to participate in the tournament even if it means a short-term contract for one month. According to reports, Ronaldo wishes to utilize the June transfer window as a free agent (FA) to join a team participating in the Club World Cup, with interest shown from Real Madrid (Spain), Inter Milan (Italy), and Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia).

Real Madrid needs a proven striker like Ronaldo for his 'last dance,' having won the Ballon d'Or five times, while Inter Milan is in a situation where they need a reliable forward like Ronaldo. Al Hilal is another Saudi team and has performed better than Al Nassr, winning the championship last season.

Sky Sports noted that "the chances of Real Madrid and Inter Milan signing Ronaldo seem quite low," emphasizing that "a transfer to Al Hilal could be a more realistic option."

Some speculate that Ronaldo may add an option to participate in the Club World Cup when signing a contract with Al Nassr, allowing him to make a short contract with a participating team during the tournament.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid and Al Hilal are grouped in the same H group along with Pachuca (Mexico) and Salzburg (Austria). Inter Milan is positioned in Group E with River Plate (Argentina), Urawa Reds (Japan), and Monterrey (Mexico). Ulsan HD, representing Korea, is in Group F with Fluminense (Brazil), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), and Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa).

As much as Ronaldo is greedy for football, he shows immense passion for business as well. Through the CR7 brand, he owns hotels, clothing lines, and fitness centers, rapidly increasing his wealth by investing in real estate, media, and tech companies.

The next domain is acquiring a football club. Mundo Deportivo explained that "Ronaldo enjoys making money just as much as playing in matches. By continually playing in the Middle East, he has built a network to expand his business empire, and now he seriously wants to acquire a football club."

Mundo Deportivo stated that "Ronaldo's next goal is to make Valencia in La Liga his own. He played in Spain for over nine years and met his wife, Georgina Rodriguez, in Spain," adding that "if Ronaldo bids, the Saudi Arabian sovereign fund will support him."

The outlet expressed hope that "Ronaldo intends to acquire Valencia if they do not get relegated. With the alliance of Ronaldo and the Saudi fund, they could easily afford to purchase Valencia. And the local fans of Valencia would welcome such acquisition attempts."

Peter Lim, Valencia's owner, has indeed lost local fans' trust with his terrible decisions. In particular, he caused a significant shock by selling the ace of Korean football, Lee Kang-in, for free, citing reasons such as not having a position in the team despite having raised him through their youth academy.

In fact, at the time, there were top prospects including Lee Kang-in and Ferran Torres, but due to Peter Lim's catastrophic actions and the veterans' territorial behavior, they struggled to secure a place in the team. It is reported that Valencia's captain Danny Parejo displayed territorial behavior toward the younger players.

Torres, a close friend of Lee Kang-in, revealed, "When I first joined the team at 17, Parejo was a fantastic player, and I had no relationship with him at all. It wasn't until a few weeks later that I could finally say 'hello.' It wasn't a good captain at all. After Marcelino left, Lee Kang-in and I were seen as scapegoats, and for a week, no one spoke to us."

Ultimately, Parejo was also expelled from Valencia after pushing away prospects like Torres and Lee Kang-in. Given this situation, if Ronaldo successfully acquires Valencia, he could gather promising talents again. Lee Kang-in, who joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) through Mallorca, might one day return to Valencia.

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