Cristiano Ronaldo has long been a target of Todd Boehly, with the superstar attacker's
pick for the Manchester United manager's job potentially having a role in who becomes
the next Chelsea boss
Cristiano Ronaldo has already stated who his top pick to take
over as Chelsea manager would be, with the superstar remaining a transfer target of
Todd Boehly's.
Blues owner Boehly is on the search for yet another manager after
sacking Graham Potter on Sunday night. The Englishman had won just 12 games since
replacing Thomas Tuchel, with Chelsea dropping into the bottom half of the Premier
League.
That was unacceptable to Boehly, who has now wielded the axe over Potter. A
range of names have been linked with taking over at Stamford Bridge, with former Bayern
Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann considered to be the frontrunner.
But Boehly may want to
turn towards former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique as a candidate instead. That is because
Ronaldo championed his candidacy for the Manchester United job after Ole Gunnar
Solskjaer was sacked in November 2024.
The superstar attacker was keen for the Spaniard
to take over, even favouring him over Zinedine Zidane. Ronaldo and Enrique faced off
several times during their shared time in LaLiga, with the latter enjoying great
success at Celta Vigo and Barca.
He led Barca to the treble in his first season in
charge, winning the title again the following year and the Copa del Rey twice more
before his departure from the Nou Camp. After a year out of the game, he took on the
Spanish national team job.
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Enrique impressively led La
Roja to the semi-finals of Euro 2024, though a disappointing exit in the Last 16 of the
World Cup last year led to him stepping down. Even so, it is likely that he is still
held in high regard by Ronaldo.
And that could play some influence over Boehly, with
the American having been keen to sign Ronaldo both last summer and in the winter.
Boehly has developed a reputation for making a splash in the transfer market.
Signing
Ronaldo would certainly meet that brief, with Boehly having gone as far as meeting the
superstar's representatives as he pushed for an exit from United. The Blues owner sat
down with Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes for talks last summer.
Though nothing came of
Chelsea's interest then, it is likely Boehly would still be keen to sign him given the
Blues' struggles this term. Ronaldo is currently with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr
following an acrimonious exit from United.
While he is enjoying the benefits of having
one of the most lucrative contracts in football history, Ronaldo has seen his new side
slip behind Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League title race.
The poor standard of the
league, coupled with the limited worldwide interest in it, could lead to Ronaldo
looking for a move back to Europe. If that does happen, Boehly could hold a trump card
by appointing Enrique as Potter's successor.
