Gerard Pique reveals Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo was close to Barcelona transfer

Cristiano Ronaldo and his path to becoming one of the greatest ever footballers is not without personal tragedy.

Cristiano Ronaldo's superstition has had fans baffled after he was spotted kissing his shin pads on the bench.Ralf Rangnick named the Manchester United star on the bench as they faced Burnley at Turf Moor, with Edinson Cavani preferred.But the scores drawn at 1-1 and the Uruguayan having little impact, it was not long before the Red Devils coach turned to the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.And while putting on Ronaldo to try land all three points is hardly shocking news, BT Sport cameras picked up the forward in an unusual act.After the 37-year-old's warm-up, he returned to the bench to get ready to come on - including putting his shin pads on.Pictured on them was his signature CR7 tag as well as a big self-portrait and his children.The Portugal international appeared to kiss each face before putting them on and making his way to the touchline to replace Cavani.But it has left fans puzzled over his superstitious ways with one saying: "Ronaldo really got himself on his shin pads."And another said: "Ronaldo lipsing his shinpads with a picture of himself on, fairs."A third quipped: "Ronaldo kissing his shinpads with his face on is such a Ronaldo thing."While this fan said: "This is PEAK Ronaldo.""Ronaldo mate you’re 37…" another supporter tweeted.And this fan said: "Bro does Ronaldo have his own photo on his shinpads this guy is crazy."Meanwhile, Rangnick did explain why he decided to drop Ronaldo to the bench in a dig at his pressing ability.Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news?Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star football email newsletter!From the latest transfer news to the agenda-setting stories, get it all in your email inbox - don't miss a thing.It only takes a matter of seconds.Simply

Cristiano Ronaldo’s abilities after preferring Edinson Cavani for Manchester United tonight. The Red Devils face Burnley where both sides are in dire need of a win for different reasons.

Interim manager Ralf Rangnick has named his starting line-up for Manchester United's Premier League clash with Burnley at Turf Moor this evening, making a huge selection call.

Georgina Rodriguez gave him a luxury SUV. Rodriguez and Cristiano Ronaldo have been dating for over five years, and have discussed the possibility of getting married for some time now.How Cristiano Ronaldo lit up the world’s tallest building for girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez’s 28th birthdayGeorgina Rodriguez is waiting for Cristiano Ronaldo to pop the questionA post shared by Georgina Rodríguez (@georginagio)Rodriguez shared a video of her gift on Instagram. In it, Ronaldo is surprised over his present and hugs her in thanks, climbing aboard to test out all of the car’s features.

estrellas we love have been busy celebrating their birthdays, sharing new partnerships, and enjoying their well-earned vacations. Scroll down to have a look at what they’ve been up to this past week:

Wayne Rooney has revealed how he “disrespected” Sir Alex Ferguson after coming close to leaving Manchester United in 2010.

Cristiano Ronaldo is one game away from going on his biggest goal drought in club competitions for over 10 years.Manchester United face Burnley on Tuesday night and failure to net in the game for the superstar will mean that Ronaldo would have gone five games without scoring. The last time he failed to score for five consecutive games was back in 2010 when he was at Real Madrid.Ronaldo, who turned 37 on Saturday, has spoken before about playing way into his 40s and such a record, if broken, would be vindictive of just how great a player he has been.The Portugal international missed a penalty as United were knocked out of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough on Friday night.During this point, he did not net on the final day of his first season as a Los Blancos player, not getting on the scoresheet against Malaga.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Mauricio Pochettino could trade places this summer as Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain brace themselves for some serious changes.United will need to appoint a new permanent manager in the coming months with interim head coach Ralf Rangnick's temporary deal set to expire at the end of the season, and Pochettino has been the frontrunner for some time.Meanwhile, reports suggest that Ronaldo already wants out of Old Trafford despite only returning to the club in August, with a move to Paris now looking likely.The French giants are preparing for life without Kylian Mbappe, who has reportedly agreed to join Real Madrid in the summer, and are considering replacing him with Ronaldo, according to the Mirror.The switch would see the 37-year-old lining up in the same team as eternal rival Lionel Messi for the very first time.Speculation surrounding the Portugal international's unhappiness in Manchester has intensified ever since the Red Devils were dumped out of the FA Cup on penalties by Championship side Middlesbrough on Friday.Ronaldo missed a number of chances during the game, including a penalty, and has now failed to find the back of the net in four matches, and is now one game away from his longest goal drought in over a decade.With United out of the Carabao Cup and trailing league leaders Manchester City by 19 points, the only piece of silverware Ronaldo can now hope to pick up this season is the Champions League.Which club would benefit most from this swap? Let us know what you think in the comments section below...As for Pochettino, United made an approach for him in November following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but prying him away from PSG mid-season was always going to be tough

Manchester United have been told they would get a 'definite' bonus if they sign Declan Rice for £100million.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson amid an ugly contract dispute during his time at the Premier League giants.The attacker spent 13 highly successful years at Old Trafford, helping them to win five Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League.All of those trophies were won while Ferguson was Red Devils manager, with Rooney becoming one of the key players in the Scot’s side.But in October 2010 a spat erupted between the England international and his manager, with Rooney announcing he wanted to leave the club amid a split over each party’s ambition.At one point in the ugly confrontation, Rooney stormed into Ferguson’s office and demanded to know which players would be targeted in the transfer window.Rooney has now lifted the lid on the dispute, revealing that he was left concerned by United’s decision to sell both Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.“I just felt at that time the club had offered me a new five-year deal, we’d sold Carlos Tevez, sold Cristiano Ronaldo,” he told the Mirror.“So I wanted reassurances of who we’re bringing in if you want me to commit myself for the next five years.Who is the best player in Manchester United's history? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section...“Who are we bringing in to improve or are you going to try to build a team over the next three, four or five years to then be successful?“That’s literally what I was saying and (laughs) he told me to get out of the office!“He’s probably the best manager of all time, so to have a young lad come in and ask him questions of how the club moving forward I completely understand that as well.”Rooney would end up making a U-turn and signing a new five-year deal, but admitted he likely left Ferguson feeling ‘disrespected’ by

Jamie Carragher has compared Mohamed Salah's Africa Cup of Nations penalty shootout decision to Cristiano Ronaldo's against Spain for Portugal.

Chelsea’s summer transfer window as he reportedly lines up a move for Jules Kounde.Kounde was a target for the Blues last summer, but their move for the Sevilla star collapsed on deadline day after a disagreement over the fee.The 23-year-old has starred for Sevilla since joining the La Liga side in 2019, helping them to win the Europa League and playing a key role in their unexpected title challenge this season.Tuchel has been keen to improve his defensive options for some time, with Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen all out of contract in the summer.French international Kounde is one of his top targets, with Chelsea expected to launch a renewed effort to sign him.But they are facing competition from Barcelona, with Xavi hoping to upset Tuchel’s well-laid transfer plans.According to Sport, Barca are ‘keen’ to sign a replacement for veteran defender and club legend Gerard Pique.Xavi believes that Kounde is the ‘ideal man’ to take Pique’s place in Barca’s backline, following his impressive performances for Sevilla.Who do you think Jules Kounde should join: Chelsea or Barcelona? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section...The Barcelona boss is thought to be a ‘massive fan’ of the centre-back, who has helped Sevilla to secure 12 clean sheets in all competitions this season.Defence is the next area on Xavi’s shopping list, having successfully bolstered his attack in the January window with the signings of Ferran Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.But that outlay could leave them struggling to compete with Chelsea’s financial strength, with Barca still suffering financial problems.Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news?Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star

Manchester United are reportedly eyeing Arsenal target Alexander Isak as Cristiano Ronaldo's potential replacement.Signing Ronaldo last summer was always going to be a short-term solution to the Red Devils' hunt for a striker, with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner now 37 years old.It might be even shorter than planned, though, because a season without silverware or Champions League qualification could see him depart this summer.If that were to happen, then The Mirror claim United could make a move for 22-year-old Isak, who has been heavily linked with Mikel Arteta's side to fill their gap for a new frontman. It's reported that United are keen on the Real Sociedad forward, but so are their Premier League rivals Chelsea.The Gunners now seem to have company in the race for the man seen as an alternative to Erling Haaland, who has looked set to move to Real Madrid but could now be up for grabs.They decided against making an offer for him in the January transfer window as his La Liga owners are only interested in selling for his £75m release clause.Would United be better off with Isak than Ronaldo? Let us know in the comments section.Isak's contract runs until 2026, which means Sociedad have no reason to cash in for any less than that fee.The Sweden international, who already has 31 caps for his country, has registered eight goals and two assists in 26 appearances for his club this season.Despite the rumour mill going into overdrive when he was spotted in London last month, Isak is remaining focused on his football.He told Mundo Deportivo: "I am not talking about other clubs.

Manchester United dressing room is said to have been split by the ostracisation of Mason Greenwood following his arrest on suspicion of rape, assault, sexual assault and threats to kill. The 20-year-old forward, who has been released on bail pending further investigation, has been unfollowed by some team-mates on social media including Cristiano Ronaldo.

FA Cup loss to Middlesbrough to declare life a "rollercoaster".The Man United forward missed a penalty in the first half which would have put his side ahead before Jadon Sancho netted to give the Red Devils the lead at Old Trafford.But Matt Crooks levelled after the ball appeared to strike Duncan Watmore's hand before he crossed for the equaliser and the match finished 1-1 after extra-time.That led to the match going to penalties, where 19-year-old Anthony Elnaga missed the crucial spot-kick to knock United out of the competiton.Ronaldo was seen with an arm around Elanga as they left the pitch at Old Trafford, and the Portuguese superstar has now broken his silence following the loss.Sharing a post on Instagram on Saturday night, Cristiano shared a photo from his birthday celebrations after he turned 37 the day after the FA Cup defeat.In the photo, Ronaldo is seen alongside partner Georgina Rodriguez and a "CR7" birthday cake.The Portugal international referred to "hard work, high speed, urgent goals, demanding expectations", but appears to have put the FA Cup loss behind him as he shared the things he think "make it all worth it". Have your say! Where will Manchester United finish in the Premier League this season? Let us know in the comments below... In the post he wrote: "Life is a roller coaster.

talkSport: "I got slated for saying this about Cristiano Ronaldo before, that he’s come in and taken all the attention away from what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was doing. "I’m not saying that he’s not going to score you goals, he scores a bag of goals, but was he the right thing for Man United? Was he the right thing for that team?"The evidence shows, and not even just from tonight, but going on everything that has happened since he came in, Man United still have not gone to the next level."I’m not saying it’s just Ronaldo’s fault – a lot of things have happened – but he is part of the problem too."Obviously you’re going to look for Ronaldo but I don’t know whether he can lead by example anymore.

Jamie Carragher couldn’t resist the urge to aim a dig at Roy Keane after Manchester United were knocked out of the FA Cup.

Roy Keane after Manchester United were knocked out of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough. United exited the competition at the fourth-round stage for the first time in a decade after failing to take their chances against the Championship side.

Cristiano Ronaldo's partner Georgina Rodriguez is the star of Netflix's newest reality documentary series. "I Am Georgina," which premiered Jan. 27 on Netflix worldwide, gave viewers a look at the woman behind the scenes.  The Manchester United soccer star and Rodriguez began a relationship in 2016.The couple, who have a child together, Alana Martina, announced they were expecting twins in October.  In addition to the children he shares with Rodriguez, Ronaldo has twins born via surrogate, Mateo and Eva Marie, along with his son Cristiano Jr.

Bruno Fernandes has been slammed by furious Manchester United fans after missing an open goal in the club’s defeat by Middlesbrough in the FA Cup on Friday night. United were dumped out of the competition in the fourth round after losing 8-7 on penalties to the Championship side following a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.