'I can't believe Cristiano Ronaldo left': Former Real Madrid manager Manuel Pellegrini still stunned by departure

Back to the start | Manuel Pellegrini alongside Cristiano Ronaldo during his first season in Madrid
AFP/Getty Images
Jack Rosser @JackRosser_26 October 2018

Former Real Madrid manager Manuel Pellegrini admits he still cannot believe Cristiano Ronaldo is not playing for the Spanish giants as his former club prepare for El Clasico this weekend.

The West Ham manager took charge of Los Blancos in 2009, with Ronaldo arriving from Manchester United for a then world record fee the same summer.

Pellegrini only lasted a season in the Spanish capital, while Ronaldo went on to score 450 goals for the Galacticos. This weekend, however, Real Madrid and rivals Barcelona will contest their first El Clasico without either Lionel Messi or Ronaldo since 2007, with the former sidelined through injury.

While the duo will be a big miss, Pellegrini feels it is still the biggest game in world football.

“Without Messi and without Cristiano of course it is not the same, I think most part of the fans for both clubs accept it, but for a lot of fans from other countries, they want to see it with Messi and with Cristiano,” Pellegrini said.

“So I think that Messi was very unlucky not to play. I cannot believe how Cristiano is not playing still at Real Madrid.

“One of the things that was most important for the best league in the world was the way they play with both players. I always said this [the Premier League] is the best league in the world because the most filled stadiums are in the Premier League which makes it better, but the technical way they play both [Barcelona and Real Madrid] are the two best teams in the world.”

The Chilean added: “I think it continues being, I don’t know if it’s the most important game in the world but one of the most important without any doubt.”

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