Cristiano Ronaldo's Man Utd transfer desire this summer before player ended up in tears

Cristiano Ronaldo was disappointed to see Manchester United misfit Antony join Real Betis instead of linking up with him in Saudi Arabia. It's reported that the Old Trafford icon wanted to see Antony as an Al-Nassr player before agreeing on a return to Spain instead.

Antony's tumultuous three-year spell in England officially came to an end on Monday after United agreed a cut-price sale to Betis . The Brazilian spent the latter half of last season on loan in Seville and re-joined Los Verdiblancos for £19million, less than a quarter of the £82m fee United paid Ajax for his services in 2022.

But long before his Betis comeback was signed off, Antony was understood to have been the subject of interest from Ronaldo 's Al-Nassr side. And the five-time Ballon d'Or-winner himself is understood to have green-lit the transfer, having spent a brief spell as team-mates with Antony at United.

Appearing on Radio Marca , journalist Marcos Bernat lifted the lid on Al-Nassr's interest in Antony's signature: "There were negotiations with Al-Nassr, the player heard about the interest, and Cristiano's entourage even took it for granted. At that point, Cristiano was in favour of the move, and they let the player know."

In the end, Al-Nassr moved their interest to other targets, such as the more affordable Kingsley Coman. That invited Betis to revisit a deal, which was eventually made a reality on deadline day.

It's believed 2026 World Cup selection was another priority for Antony, making it more of a priority to remain in Europe. Doing so would improve his prospects of being selected by new Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti , who omitted Antony from his latest squad.

The winger cut an emotional figure when he was presented to the Betis fanbase for a second time. Except this time, he had signed for the club on permanent terms and broke down while discussing the difficulties he faced in England.

"Only my family knows how hard it was to be there," said Antony through tears as he was unveiled as Betis' big summer signing on Tuesday. "Training separately. But I knew this incredible moment was coming. Of course, I was afraid it wouldn't happen in the end, but I waited because I had so much faith."

A move to the Saudi Pro League might have given Antony an improved chance of becoming a star once again. But after already impressing during his six-month loan in Spain, he can leave England with confidence that he's in the right environment to rebound under Manuel Pellegrini.

Antony has also since revealed he turned down interest from Bayern Munich in order to move back to Betis. He told Cadena Cope this week: "One day before the deal was completed, I spoke to the people at Bayern But when I spoke to Bayern, I told them that the deal with Betis was 95% complete, and that I would honour my word.

"I would do so out of respect and love and because I know that I am very happy here. I don't know if they were offering me [£6m salary, or £115,000 a week]. With all respect I have for Bayern, which is a world-class club, I am at ease with the decision I've taken. I don't know what will happen in the future but I feel very calm about the decision I've taken."

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