Real Madrid have made ‘an historic error’ by selling Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus, claims former president Ramon Calderon

The 33-year-old was unveiled in Turin on Monday after completing a £100 million transfer to the Serie A champions

Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon believes the club have made an “historic error” by selling Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus.

Ronaldo was officially unveiled in Turin on Monday after completing a £100 million transfer from Madrid, bringing to an end a spectacular nine-year spell at Santiago Bernabeu which yielded 451 goals in 438 appearances and eight major trophies, including four Champions League titles.

Calderon was the president who brought Ronaldo to Madrid from Manchester United for £80m in the summer of 2009, and in an interview with Spanish newspaper AS he insisted that his successor Florentino Perez has made a huge mistake in allowing the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to leave.

“It's very sad that they have sold a player like Cristiano Ronaldo, it's a real pity,” he said. “With what it cost me to sign him, the effort that we made to bring him to Madrid... Manchester did not want to sell him and it was very difficult.

“And now they have sold him for 100 million. There isn't a player who scored 60 goals a year for you and is worth to you 100 million. Selling Cristiano is not good news, either for 100 million or a billion.

“It is true that we put a clause of a billion euros to discourage those interested in him in the future, but at the same time, to show that there was no other player like him. It's an historic error.”

Ronaldo’s departure has left Madrid searching for a new ‘Galactico’, though the European champions have issued public statements in recent days denying reports that they are preparing world-record bids to sign Brazil superstar Neymar or his Paris-Saint German teammate Kylian Mbappe, who shone at the World Cup with France.

Chelsea winger Eden Hazard encouraged speculation linking him with a move to Madrid by suggesting “it might be time to discover something different” after six years at Stamford Bridge, but the Blues are desperate to keep the Belgian and reportedly value him at more than £200m.