Former AC Milan sporting director Massimiliano Mirabelli has disclosed that the Rossoneri held a complete agreement to sign Cristiano Ronaldo in January 2018, only for the deal to disintegrate when the club’s Chinese ownership group withdrew support.
The revelation sheds light on a transfer that would have dramatically altered Serie A’s landscape. Mirabelli explained that initial contact was established during the 2017 Champions League final in Cardiff between Real Madrid and Juventus, where the Milan delegation including then-chief executive Marco Fassone and manager Gennaro Gattuso approached Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes.
By January 2018, all parties had settled on a €100 million transfer fee. Real Madrid were prepared to sanction the move and personal terms had been agreed with the player, leaving only final administrative approval from the club’s proprietors.
Europa League ambition
Remarkably, Ronaldo was not deterred by Milan’s absence from the Champions League at that time. Instead, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner viewed the Europa League as an opportunity to complete his trophy collection.
“I’ll come to Milan. I’ve never done the Europa League and I’m coming to win it,” Mirabelli quoted Ronaldo as saying, according to Goal. Mirabelli added: “He had built up an important motivation, he didn’t diminish the fact that he wasn’t coming to do the Champions League. He was very motivated.”
Chinese withdrawal
Despite the comprehensive nature of the negotiations, the transaction faltered at the final stage. “We had reached all the agreements, with Real Madrid, with Jorge Mendes regarding the player. It was all okay,” Mirabelli stated. “But then it didn’t go through. The Chinese pulled back.”
The collapse of negotiations allowed Juventus to secure Ronaldo’s services that summer for the same €100 million valuation. The Portuguese star subsequently spent three seasons in Turin, winning two league titles but failing to secure European silverware, before eventually departing for Manchester United in 2021.
The revelation offers a glimpse into an alternative history where one of football’s most prolific goalscorers might have spearheaded Milan’s attack during their subsequent rebuilding phase, rather than strengthening their domestic rivals.