Fans to blame for Ronaldo missing Manchester United vs Atletico Madrid friendly?

Legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo, keen to depart from Manchester United this summer for a shot at the Champions League glory, has been reportedly ruled out for the Red Devils' clash against Atletico Madrid in Oslo, Norway, on Saturday. The 37-year-old Portuguese icon returned to Old Trafford this week to hold face-to-face discussions with new manager Erik ten Hag and is said to have reiterated his desire to leave the club in this current transfer window.

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According to a report in The Athletic, Ronaldo will not play in Saturday's friendly, but the Portuguese talisman could face Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford the following day. While the reasons behind the prolific striker missing out on tomorrow's clash against Atletico Madrid could be many, football enthusiasts speculate the recent reaction from fans of the La Liga club over the possible signing of the former Real Madrid icon could be one of the reasons.

Atletico Madrid has been one of the clubs where Ronaldo has been rumoured to move, even though club President Enrique Cerezo said it was 'impossible'. The question of whether Los Rojiblancos supporters would accept a player who had previously excelled for rival Real Madrid has been firmly answered. First, fans vocally denounced the Portuguese talisman's signing on Twitter, and on Tuesday night, president Enrique Cerezo called the rumours "fabricated." He added that the move was virtually tricky.

This sentiment, however, persisted into Wednesday, when the official Atletico Madrid fan clubs published a letter expressing their disapproval of the signing. A few hours later, Diego Simeone's side also opened their pre-season against Numancia, where fans unfurled a banner reading 'CR7 not welcome'.

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Protests from angry Atletico Madrid fans came even as rumours suggested a possible departure of Frenchman Antoine Grizmann to make way for Ronaldo. While the Portugal superstar's arrival seems slim, the knee-jerk reaction from Atletico Madrid fans indicates the striker's signing would perhaps be a bad idea. A split with the fanbase that CR7's signing would cause could damage any hope of that.

Manchester United appears to have taken note of the recent fury surrounding Ronaldo's rumoured move to Atletico Madrid and chose to play the striker in a home game on Sunday instead of one in front of probable 'CR7 not welcome' protests.

Also read: #ContraCR7: Angry Atletico Madrid fans unite to stop club from signing Ronaldo