Todd Boehly's Attempt to Sign Cristiano Ronaldo at Chelsea

Todd Boehly tried to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to Chelsea during the Portuguese forward’s turbulent second spell at Manchester United – but ran straight into a brick wall named Thomas Tuchel.

According to The Athletic, Boehly flew to Portugal and sat down with Jorge Mendes, walking out of the meeting highly enthusiastic about the prospect of signing Ronaldo. With the striker increasingly unhappy at Old Trafford, the new Chelsea owner sensed an opportunity for a marquee arrival early in his tenure.

Tuchel wanted no part of it. The then‑Chelsea manager made his opposition to any Ronaldo deal clear, repeatedly, and the idea never moved beyond Boehly’s fascination. It became one of several early flashpoints between the pair.

Frustration grew as Boehly’s ambitious first-window wishlist fell apart. Chelsea failed to land Matthijs de Ligt, Raphinha, Frenkie de Jong or Presnel Kimpembe, leaving the new regime without the statement core it had targeted.

Raheem Sterling was different. There, Boehly got his man. He personally drove the negotiations with Manchester City, eventually closing a £47.5 million deal that brought the England international to Stamford Bridge without the same internal resistance.

Boehly later admitted just how improvised that first summer had been. Speaking at an event in February, he reflected on stepping into a role he had never planned to occupy.

“I found myself stuck in the interim sporting director role over the summer, without knowing what makes a footballer good,” he said. “But I knew that if Manchester City wanted Marc Cucurella, then I wanted him. It was as simple as that.”

By January 2023, Boehly had stepped away from the interim sporting director position, leaving behind a brief, chaotic spell that had nearly delivered Ronaldo to west London and laid bare the steep learning curve of Premier League ownership.