Cristiano Ronaldo opens door to stunning Man City move as Man Utd icon backs Guardiola

Cristiano Ronaldo risked the wrath of Manchester United fans by opening the door to a blockbuster move to Manchester City, backing under-fire boss Pep Guardiola to turn his season around.

When asked at the Globe Soccer Awards if he would give City a “helping hand” in turning around their season, the Portuguese superstar refused to rule out a sensational move to the Etihad.

“Football is like… you never know what’s going to happen,” Ronaldo said.

When the presenter asked him for a clear answer, telling him “that's not a no!”, Ronaldo laughed and refused to give further details.

Guardiola previously turned down the chance to sign Ronaldo in the summer of 2021 when Ronaldo announced he would be leaving Juventus.

Instead, he returned to Old Trafford for a second spell and scored 27 goals in 54 games before his acrimonious exit in December 2022.

The Premier League champions are one of the few European clubs – along with Chelsea, PSG and his former club United – who could reasonably afford Ronaldo's salary.

However, there is no indication that they would consider bringing in the Al-Nassr striker, who turns 40 in February.

Rodri's absence in midfield has seen the champions collapse and with an aging squad, Guardiola is in need of reinforcements and could make several moves on the market when the transfer window reopens on January 1.

The Catalan coach, 54, has overseen a run of just one win in 13 games in all competitions and City sit seventh in the Premier League, some 14 points behind leaders Liverpool.

Despite being snubbed in the past, that hasn't stopped Ronaldo from throwing his support behind Guardiola, who finds himself in the midst of his worst run since taking over as City manager in 2016 .

“I think the big teams, the big players, are smart enough to understand what the problem is, where the problem is,” Ronaldo added.

“Teams have moments, good moments, difficult moments… and for example, City will get through this moment. I'm 100 percent sure they will come back.

“Guardiola is a very intelligent coach. He knows where the problem comes from. They will be there as always.”

Ronaldo and Guardiola have a checkered past since their time in Spain, with the former playing for Real Madrid as Lionel Messi's main rival and Guardiola coaching Barcelona until 2012. But their relationship has improved over time, with Guardiola once calling Ronaldo “irreplaceable”, before later expressing regret at not having more players of his caliber at the Etihad Stadium.

Ronaldo returned the favor shortly after, hailing the three-time winning manager as “a great coach” and admitted: “His teams are always at the top and his football speaks for itself.”