Pep Guardiola will have won the affection of Manchester City fans after he snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo’s handshake in 2013.
But despite the seemingly frosty Ballon d’Or swap nearly a decade ago, the City boss is actually a huge fan of the Manchester United star his side could face this weekend.
Manchester’s 188th derby at the Etihad on Sunday will see Man City aim to retain bragging rights and top the table.
Meanwhile, Man United are heading to a draw after four consecutive Premier League wins.
Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag will have to weigh whether to include club legend Ronaldo in his plans for his first Manchester derby, with the Portuguese star falling out of favor and in good shape for club and country.
But it won’t just be Man United fans who will be looking for Ronaldo’s name on Sunday.
The refusal of the Ballon d’Or handshake likely led many to believe that Guardiola was not a fan of the star who has made a name for himself with rivals City and Barcelona.
Since then, however, the Spaniard has complimented him on numerous occasions, and it wasn’t until last summer that Ronaldo was rumored to become a City player.
The alleged snub
Before returning to Old Trafford last summer, Ronaldo had not been to England during Guardiola’s reign at the Etihad, ending his first spell at Manchester in 2009 when he signed for Real Madrid.
Understandably, City fans didn’t like the then-rising Portuguese star during his first spell in England, and he scored five goals against them in the Manchester derbies.
Guardiola and Ronaldo have faced each other since their first meeting in the Champions League final in 2009, in which Barca beat Man United.
Ronaldo even sparked a heated scrum during his time at Real Madrid in their 5-0 loss at the Camp Nou in 2010, pushing Guardiola onto the touchline as he went to claim the ball for a throw-in.
Then, at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in 2013, the pair had another run.
The Spaniard had just quit his job with Real Madrid rivals Barca and become Bayern Munich coach.
And he appeared to snub Ronaldo’s handshake as the star climbed up to collect his second Ballon d’Or award, staring as CR7 appeared to extend his hand.
Not-So-Secret Admirer
However, there have been plenty of occasions since then that suggest Guardiola and Ronaldo’s relationship has taken a completely different direction.
“We don’t have a single player who can win a game. We don’t have Cristiano, [Lionel] Messi, a Neymar,” the manager said at the start of his City career, making his feelings about Ronaldo known.
Afterwards, Guardiola paid another compliment to the five-time Ballon d’Or winner after his £88m move from Real Madrid to Juventus, saying: “Ronaldo, like Messi, is a guy who scores 50 or 60 goals. per season.
“Any team can suffer a bit if they leave.”
It was only last summer that it emerged a deal had been all but done between Ronaldo and Manchester City, with reports suggesting he was set to join Guardiola’s side after his contract at Juventus ended .
It wasn’t meant to be at the end, however, as Man United stepped in with the help of Sir Alex Ferguson to ensure Ronaldo retained his legendary status on Manchester’s red side.
But Guardiola’s affection for the footballing icon continued after the reported deal fell through.
Speaking ahead of the first Manchester derby since Ronaldo’s return, Guardiola said: “I haven’t seen United’s game [against Atalanta].
“I will analyze and see what they are to find out how good they are. We saw it last season. They have one of the best players in history, a guy [Ronaldo] which can be a scoring machine.
Then, before the reverse game in March which saw City win 4-1, he complimented him again.
“He was one of the greatest of the last 15 years alongside Messi,” he said.
“What these two guys did will never be seen again. When you realize these things, you are under surveillance every day of your life.
“Today, especially with social media, you are under scrutiny. He was too good and as an outstanding finisher, top player. It was a joy to watch those years.
So maybe they are friends after all.
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