Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has spoken about the Cristiano Ronaldo bargain he bagged during his time in charge.
Calderon served as Real Madrid president for around three years between 2006 and 2009, and he made some impressive signings during his time at the helm.
Fabio Cannavaro signed on a bargain deal, while Ruud van Nistelrooy was also snapped up.
But no signing was greater than that of now Real Madrid legend Ronaldo, who joined on a €94 million from Manchester United in 2009.
The Portuguese superstar went on to win all there is to win at Real Madrid, setting scoring records with 311 goals in 292 La Liga appearances.
And while United charged a premium for their star man, Calderon, like many others, looks back on the deal as a bargain.
“It was a unique opportunity that we could not miss and, though it was not easy to convince Manchester United, the decision of the player drove many things,” he told Diario AS.
“United were excessive, but listen, it turned out to be the cheapest hit in our history.”
Ronaldo has since returned to United following a three-year spell with Juventus.
He will go down as one of the best players in the history of football, and ultimately, that might not have been possible without Calderon making the decision to pull the trigger when he did.