Sports
Recent details have revealed the pivotal role played by German coach Thomas Tuchel, then Chelsea's manager, in preventing Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to the London club. This came amidst efforts by former owner Todd Boehly to sign Ronaldo during his second stint with Manchester United, prior to his move to Al-Nassr. According to "The Athletic", Boehly met player agent Jorge Mendes in Portugal at the time, emerging with significant interest in signing Ronaldo. Despite the Portuguese star's dissatisfaction at Manchester United then, Tuchel expressed strong opposition on multiple occasions to any deal for the forward. This opposition coincided with growing tensions over other transfers, as Boehly failed to sign players like Matthijs de Ligt, Raphinha, Frenkie de Jong, and Presnel Kimpembe. However, the deal for Raheem Sterling, for which Boehly personally led negotiations from Manchester City for £47.5 million, garnered greater agreement. During an event last February, Todd Boehly admitted his transfer strategy was not scientifically sound enough. He commented: "I found myself stuck in the interim sporting director role during the summer, without knowing what makes a footballer good. But I knew that Marc Cucurella, if Manchester City wanted him, I wanted him. It was that simple." Boehly stepped down from his interim sporting director position for the Blues in January 2023.
