While Messi remained out of reach, the pursuit of Ronaldo was an exhausting saga that spanned several seasons. Calderon insists that the credit for the move belongs to the stature of the club rather than personal negotiation skills, noting that the forward was determined to leave Old Trafford for the Bernabeu despite Sir Alex Ferguson’s resistance.
“We were in negotiations for two years. Manchester United, naturally, didn’t want him to leave, but the player wanted to go,” Calderon explained. “It’s well known that footballers like Cristiano end up going where they really want to go; it’s impossible to hold them against their will. I insist, I was there and, as anyone else would have done, I seized the opportunity. At that moment, he was the best player in the world alongside Messi, and therefore, the most logical thing to do was to seize the opportunity to sign him with both hands.”
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