Ronaldo's love-hate relationship with Simeone after ultimate disrespect

Cristiano Ronaldo is trying to persuade Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone to sign him from Manchester United, according to reports in Spain.

The 37-year-old wants to leave Old Trafford to challenge for the biggest trophies again after the Red Devils finished sixth in the Premier League last season, missing out on Champions League qualification. Yet new manager Erik ten Hag wants to keep him on board.

Rumours linking Ronaldo with Atletico are surprising for a number of reasons. He is the record scorer for local rivals Real Madrid, but perhaps equally important is his love-hate relationship with Simeone. Here, Mirror Football takes a closer look at their turbulent past.

Simeone's GOAT verdict

In case you've been living under a football-shaped rock for the past 15 years, you'll be aware of Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's long-standing rivalry. Critics are divided on who is the GOAT (greatest of all time) - and it's a debate that'll never be settled.

Simeone offered his opinion in June 2018 and, surprisingly, didn't side with compatriot Messi. After Argentina's 3-0 defeat by eventual runners-up Croatia at the World Cup, he vented his thoughts to assistant German Burgos in a WhatsApp audio message.

"Messi is very good but he is very good because he is accompanied by extraordinary players," Simeone said in the leaked message. "But if you had to choose between Messi and Ronaldo for a normal team, who would you choose?"

At the time, only Ronaldo had won an international honour - inspiring Portugal to victory at Euro 2016. But Messi has since proved Simeone wrong, leading Argentina to victory at last summer's Copa America before lifting the Finalissima crown in June.

Simeone's opinion may have changed since, but it still shows how highly he regards Ronaldo. He could also do with some of his individual quality after just three Atletico players scored 10 or more goals last season, with none of them breaking the 15-goal barrier.

Ronaldo retaliates

Ronaldo left Real for Juventus in the summer of 2018, but his rivalry with Atletico didn't stop there. The following season, Simeone's side defeated Juventus 2-0 in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League clash, leaving the manager to inappropriately grab his crotch in celebration.

"It means we have balls, a lot of balls," said Simeone when explaining the celebration. "To start [Diego] Costa and Koke after they hadn't played for a month takes balls."

Ronaldo didn't forget Simeone's antics. In the second leg, he scored a hat-trick to send Juventus through to the quarter-finals. After the third goal went in, Ronaldo mimicked Simeone's celebration by gesturing around his groin and thrusting.

It wasn't the first time Ronaldo thwarted Simeone. He scored the last goal in Real's 4-1 win against Atletico in the Champions League final in 2014. He also scored the winning penalty in the shootout when the two teams met again on the same stage two years later. Perhaps these two will need "a lot of balls" to forget their fierce rivalry.

Mutual affection

Gestures aside, what really matters is what the pair think of each other. We already know Simeone holds Ronaldo in high regard, and he will be relieved to know the feeling is mutual. "He has a lot of courage," Ronaldo told Amazon of Simeone. "I like people like that."

The question is whether Simeone and Ronaldo have enough courage to forget the latter's deep connection with Real. Can Ronaldo realistically leave his legacy at the Santiago Bernabeu in tatters and United in the lurch? It could be one of the biggest decisions of his career.