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‘Bayern don’t need Ronaldo, we have Lewandowski’, says Rummenigge

Robert Lewandowski, Cristiano Ronaldo
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Bayern Munich had no need to sign Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018 as they had Robert Lewandowski and will continue to do so, says Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

Ronaldo, in a similar fashion to Lionel Messi and Barcelona right now, left the football world stunned by ending a glory-laden stint with Real Madrid in the summer of 2018.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner fancied a new challenge after nine years in the Spanish capital. Several top clubs from across the world, therefore, pursued him in one of the biggest transfer sagas.

Paris Saint-Germain and former club Manchester United were among his suitors before Ronaldo settled on a €100m move to Juventus.

He has since managed an impressive 65 goals and 18 assists in 89 appearances for the Bianconeri and won back-to-back Serie A titles.

Despite Cristiano’s success in Italy and his goalscoring talents, however, Rummenigge insists Bayern had no reason to pursue him thanks to Lewandowski.

“We had, and still have, Lewandowski. We didn’t need a striker like Ronaldo,” the Bayern chairman told Tuttosport.

“But Juventus did very well, [Andrea] Agnelli landed an extraordinary blow.

“It has been a successful purchase from all points of view. CR7 scored a lot and in important games. And thanks to his global image, he made Juventus grow commercially.

“The name helps, but quality must always be there too: Cristiano Ronaldo has it all.”

It’s hard to argue with Rummenigge’s reasoning either as Lewandowski scored a remarkable 55 goals in just 47 outings for Bayern in all competitions last season.

Not even Messi’s possible availability this summer can interest the European champions.

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