Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was reportedly stunned when Barcelona splurged the cash to rope in Osumane Dembele during the summer transfer window.
The four-time Ballon d’Or winner was astonished that Barcelona spent a whooping £97million to sign Dembele from Borussia Dortmund to replace Neymar.
Barcelona signed Dembele on a five-year deal and also induced a £367m buy-out clause in his contract at the Nou Camp.
The French winger became the second-most expensive signing after Neymar, who moved to PSG on a world-record £200m deal in the summer.
However, Dembele endured a nightmare start to his debit campaign in La Liga as he picked up a season-ending injury after playing just three games for Barcelona this season.
And according to reports, Ronaldo said “who is that?” when he came to know that Barcelona signed Dembele as Neymar’s replacement.
Ronaldo went on to insult the French winger further, according to Spanish website Diario Gol.
The Portugal skipper reportedly said that Dembele was just a side-kick to top-class Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
He went on to say that Dembele’s move to Barcelona was only to help Messi.
Ronaldo reportedly said: “(He) comes to Barca with the mission to play for Messi, like everyone else.”
It is a mystery why Ronaldo never heard of Dembele before the French star moved to Barcelona.
The Real Madrid star had faced him in twice in the Champions League last season – with both the group stage games ending in 2-2 draws.
Ronaldo has drawn huge criticism for his poor form in the La Liga this season. He has managed to score just once in 8 league matches he has played this season.
Zinedine Zidane’s side are find it difficult to defend the La Liga title and are already 10 points behind current league leaders Barcelona.
