Fabio Capello recounted the reason why Real Madrid sold Ronaldo to Milan in January 2007, revealing an interesting conversation with then-Rossoneri president Silvio Berlusconi.
The Brazilian forward spent a positive five years in Serie A with Inter from 1997 to 2002, showing why he was such a great player before injuries severely disrupted his time in Lombardy.
Ronaldo left Inter for Real Madrid in 2002 and spent almost five years with the club, scoring 103 goals across 177 appearances and helping them win two La Liga titles.
Speaking to Marca, Capello explained why Real Madrid sold Ronaldo to Milan in January 2007.
“Sending him away was Madrid’s good fortune. I’m joking, or maybe not because it’s true. I spoke to the president, I told him we had to give him away. He weighed 94kg, I talked to him and asked him: ‘When you won the World Cup with Brazil how much did you weigh?’
“And he answered me: 84kg. I asked him to lose weight, I told him he couldn’t play like that. He couldn’t, he loved the night life, the women. Then many players left with him.
“I told the president that he must be sold. There was an Arabian team, it was done, then Berlusconi called me.
“He asked me how the situation was, and I told him that he likes the night life, women and that he weighs 94kg. Berlusconi thanked me. The next day, I read in la Gazzetta dello Sport that he was going to Milan.”
Ronaldo spent 18 months with Milan from January 2007 to June 2008, with the final five months being disrupted by a serious knee ligament injury. He only managed to score nine goals across 20 appearances and it quickly became apparent that he was in the twilight of his career.
His contributions in the league kept Pippo fresh for the champions league. The rest is history. ⚫️🔴