Real Madrid Transfer News: Cristiano Ronaldo Reportedly Agrees New 5-Year Deal

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly agreed a new five-year contract at the Santiago Bernabeu.  

That’s according to Cadena Ser (h/t calciomercato.com), which has stated the Portuguese has signed on until 2021, and the deal will be announced next week.

Ronaldo joined Madrid in the summer of 2009 from Manchester United for a world-record fee and has gone on to become one of the finest players of his generation. With Real he’s won the UEFA Champions League twice and La Liga once.

Despite his affinity with the club—Ronaldo is also the highest scorer in Madrid’s history—there have been stories linking the 31-year-old with a move in the past. Indeed, Sky Sports’ Guillem Balague reported last year that Paris Saint-Germain were keen to sign the forward.

However, Ronaldo has remained in the Spanish capital and looks poised to further add to his legacy, having enjoyed one of the most memorable seasons of his career in 2015-16. Here’s a look back at some of his best moments from it:

Indeed, Ronaldo netted a superb winner for Madrid against Barcelona in the Clasico clash at the Camp Nou, before scoring the vital winning penalty in the team’s Champions League final win over rivals Atletico Madrid.

After such a superb domestic season, Ronaldo shone again at the UEFA European Football Championship, leading Portugal to their first-ever major title. The Madrid man was carried off injured in the final against France, but his team-mates secured glory against the odds.

These numbers from Squawka Football illustrate the consistency Ronaldo has shown throughout 2016:

It seems as though Real are confident he can continue posting those numbers too, as Ronaldo will likely be 36 by the time this reported extension expires.

That’s not to say he won’t be in peak condition still. After all, Ronaldo rarely picks up injuries and has tweaked his game slightly as he’s grown older; the former United man is no longer a daring and dashing winger, he’s evolved into the ultimate penalty-box predator.

JAVIER SORIANO/Getty Images

So while Ronaldo’s dribbling highlight reels may not be quite as spectacular in the next five years, he remains capable of deciding a game with some sharp movement and a clinical finish. As noted by Ben Hayward of Goal, early in 2016-17 we seem to be seeing a more selfless Ronaldo:

The forward’s appetite for goals has been rich since he joined Los Blancos and although he’s not been in scintillating form so far this season, you sense it’s not long until the goals begin to flow freely again. Over the next five years, the forward is capable of pushing Madrid to even more honours.

The Portugal skipper has said in the past he wants to retire at Madrid when he’s 40, per AS (h/t Tom Webber of Goal); if he continues to set similar standards until that point, he may well hang up his boots as the finest goalscorer to have played the game.