Ronaldo at OL, the scathing response

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By: Manu Tournoux

Ronaldo at OL, the scathing response

Long before becoming a football legend, Cristiano Ronaldo was reportedly offered to Olympique Lyonnais in exchange for Tony Vairelles. The latter revealed it a few years ago, but Jean-Michel Aulas denies it!

“ It’s wrong ! It would have been a great stupidity », laughs Jean-Michel Aulas in SalonVIP, on beIN Sports. The former president of OL was then questioned about the supposed aborted transfer of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo to Les Gones. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was just a young 18-year-old striker from Sporting’s training center, who had not yet made his professional debut.

However, it was Tony Vairelles who revealed this major failure on several occasions. In the summer of 2001, returning from a successful loan to Bastia, the striker revealed at Nancy and Lens was then contacted by Laszlo Boloni, head of the Lisbon club. The Romanian coach then told him that the leaders of Sporting had no money but that they were ready to make an exchange by sending two players, “ including a very promising one, his name is Ronaldo “.

Vairelles thus explained, one day, on Canal+: “ Lyon must regret today! (…) I had one year left on my contract, so Lyon wanted a transfer and didn’t want an exchange “. Almighty president of Olympique Lyonnais from 1987 to 2023, “JMA” clearly does not remember this transfer window opportunity. Or does he simply prefer to forget this big failure…

Manu Tournoux

Written by:

Manu Tournoux

Manu Tournoux is a passionate and knowledgeable football enthusiast with a special focus on French football. Born and raised in France, Manu discovered his love for the beautiful game at a young age and developed a deep understanding of the ins and outs of "Le Championnat." His French roots and extensive experience in football journalism have made him an invaluable asset to the French Football Weekly team. As an author for the website, his expertise includes not only in-depth analysis of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches but also insightful profiles of up-and-coming talents, detailed transfer news, and engaging coverage of the French national team. His captivating writing style and undeniable passion for the game have earned him a loyal following among our readers. When he's not crafting engaging articles for French Football Weekly, Manu enjoys attending live matches whenever he can, exploring football culture in various French cities, and engaging in spirited debates with fellow fans.