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Cristiano Ronaldo reached an agreement with Real Madrid in 2008 before going on to play for Manchester United for another year.

The Portugal international had decided in 2008 that he wanted to leave Old Trafford for the Bernabeu but came to an agreement with Sir Alex Ferguson that he would stay at United for one more season.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner did secure his dream transfer in the summer of 2009 and former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has revealed the Portuguese star would have lost out on €30million if the deal hadn't gone through as he had already agreed to join the La Liga giants.

“Jorge Mendes, when I signed Cristiano, he did a very good job. He is an agent who protects his players and defends their interest in the best way," Calderon told The Athletic.

"In late 2008, Cristiano called me and said, ‘I am coming.’ He extended his contract with United but he did it with the commitment to come to Real Madrid the year after — he said, ‘I am going.’ We knew for sure he would be coming, which is why we signed the commitment with a €30million penalty for both parties.

"This meant that if we didn’t comply with the contract, we would have to pay Cristiano €30 million and vice-versa — he would have to pay us the same if he reneged. He was very happy at United. He told me many times that Ferguson was a father to him, how he gave him the chance to become the best player, how he loved the fans but he wanted to change and we started to talk. The penalty clause was a way to strengthen the commitment. Ferguson didn’t want to sell but he knew."