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Five Ballon d’Or awards, three UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Awards, and 33 trophies - but there is one thing Cristiano Ronaldo can't do. Comments from his former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand and ex-Real Madrid teammate Gareth Bale suggest Ronaldo shouldn't think about swapping football for golf. During a quick-fire style interview with Rio Ferdinand, shared on X by TNT Sports, Bale was asked to pick one celebrity, one athlete and one footballer to play a four-ball round of golf alongside him. Bale’s first pick was: “Cristiano Ronaldo. It’d be funny to see. ” Rio Ferdinand replied with a laugh: “That’s one thing I don’t think he can do is play golf. ” Ronaldo began his senior career with Sporting Lisbon, before making the move to Man United in 2003, where he went on to win three consecutive Premier League titles, two League Cups and the Champions League alongside Ferdinand. From Old Trafford, he made the move to Real Madrid in 2009, signing for £80 million and becoming the then-most expensive signing ever. He became a formidable force alongside the likes of Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, who joined four years after the Portuguese star arrived, forming a lethal attacking trio. This trio were crucial to the team winning four Champions Leagues from 2014 to 2018. In 2018, Ronaldo signed for Juventus in a transfer worth an initial £88 million. He won two Serie A titles, became the inaugural Serie A Most Valuable Player, and the first footballer to finish as top scorer in the English, Spanish and Italian leagues. He returned to Man United in 2021, finishing his only full season as the club's top scorer, but an interview with Piers Morgan led to an acrimonious departure from the club. In 2023, he signed for Al Nassr, where he is currently playing. Bale’s other picks were actor Jason Bateman and basketball icon Stephen Curry. The 35-year-old has always been a keen golfer, he even has a replica of the 17th hole – the Island Green – at TPC at Sawgrass in his back garden. His love for golf became fairly contentious in his final seasons at Real Madrid, with theories flying around that he was more interested in golf than football. One Spanish news outlet, El Confidencial, cited golf as the reason why Bale spent so much time out injured, claiming it aggravated his back problems. Bale humorously played up to this reputation; when Wales qualified for the Euro 2020 tournament, he celebrated behind a Welsh flag with the words: "Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order" written on it. As you can imagine, this didn’t go down well with the Real Madrid faithful. At the time, former president Ramon Calderon, told talk SPORT: “It’s a bit of a farce here among Real fans. It’s added fuel to the fire. ” “The fans are angry because of his absences. He’s been around 50 days without playing with the team and he’s missed six matches. "Then suddenly they see him playing with Wales, and playing very well by the way, and they see him fit and in good shape. That is what has angered fans here. It’s a pity. ” Despite all this, Bale has continued with his beloved golf, competing alongside American professional golfer Joseph Bramlett in the February 2023 edition of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California. The duo went on to place joint-16th in the amateur section of the event. © 2024 talk SPORT Limited
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