River Plate Coach Tried to Sign Ronaldo — Here’s How It Happened

Marcelo Gallardo has revealed that he personally tried to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to River Plate for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. The River Plate manager confirmed the surprising story in a recent interview, saying the idea was very real and that he reached out to Ronaldo through a mutual friend back in March.

“At one point I said, ‘Hey, the Club World Cup is coming up — don’t you want to play in it?’” Gallardo shared. According to him, Ronaldo appreciated the offer and took time to consider it seriously. “He felt recognized,” Gallardo said. “He thought about it, evaluated it… but in the end, he decided to focus on preparing for next season.”

At the time, Al Nassr had already missed out on qualifying for the Club World Cup, meaning Ronaldo would not be involved in the competition unless he joined another team. River Plate, as one of South America’s strongest sides, qualified and were open to adding star power to their roster.

Gallardo explained that he doesn’t usually name names publicly, but this particular approach was too interesting to ignore. “I don’t talk about names. But this time, yes — it was Cristiano. It’s true.”

Ultimately, the move didn’t happen, and Ronaldo remains with Al Nassr, getting ready for the 2025/26 season. Still, the idea of seeing one of football’s greatest ever players wearing the River Plate shirt at a global tournament stirred excitement among fans and showed just how ambitious the Argentine club was ahead of the Club World Cup in the United States.

Published by Patrick Jane
20.06.2025