Ronaldo wants to leave Man United to protect UCL goal record, says ex-PL striker

Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave Manchester United to protect his Champions League goal record, worried that rival Lionel Messi will overtake him.

That’s according to ex-Premier League striker Tony Cascarino, who believes the Portuguese superstar has asked to leave the Red Devils so he can go down as the best goalscorer in the competition’s history.

Ronaldo has scored 141 goals in European’s elite tournament, as well as winning it on multiple occasions.

He has lifted the trophy once with Man United and four times with Real Madrid, and is the only player to date to have scored in three Champions League finals. 

He will not be playing in the competition next year, as it stands, after United failed to qualify having finished sixth in the Premier League.

Messi, however, will be, after moving to Paris Saint-Germain last summer and is just 16 goals away from matching Ronaldo’s tally.

And Cascarino is ‘suspicious’ that this is the reason the forward wants to leave the Red Devils this summer.

“Ronaldo is a player, as always, that has an ego,” Cascarino told talkSPORT. 

“A lot of it is about him but the teams he’s played in have been successful, so you always go with that as a team player. 

“Great, he scores goals, he gets the accolades, he’s one of the greatest that’s ever played the game. 

“You can have all that and that’s fine, as long as you’re winning. 

Ronaldo vs Messi in the Champions League

Cristiano Ronaldo |

Games: 183

Goals: 140

Goals (excluding penalties): 121

Assists: 48

Titles: 5

Lionel Messi |

Games: 156

Goals: 125

Goals (excluding penalties): 107

Assists: 41

Titles: 4

“When you don’t win, now you’ve got a problem. 

“I said to you off-air, I’m a bit suspicious because he’s got 141 goals in the Champions League. Messi has got 125.  

“He doesn’t want to not play Champions League football because he wants to be the greatest Champions League goalscorer of all time and that’s how Ronaldo is made.”