Cristiano Ronaldo posts cryptic message amid absence from UCL for first time since 2003

Cristiano Ronaldo will not be appearing in Champions League football for the first time since 2003. Manchester United finished sixth last season due to which they will not be playing in Europe's elite club football competition this season.

The UCL draw took place in Istanbul, Turkey on Friday and the 37-year-old took to social media and posted a picture with a cryptic message as the Champions League group stage draw came to a close.

UEFA Champions League draw: Cristiano Ronaldo posts cryptic message 

The Manchester United forward posted a training photo captioning the image as ‘Keep working and focused’ just as the 32 teams waited to see their opponents in the Champions League. The Portuguese superstar has been subject to transfer throughout the summer but no club in Europe has come ahead and tried to get his signature. Ronaldo was linked with various clubs like Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Sporting Lisbon etc but the move never materialised. 

German publication BILD reported that Cristiano Ronaldo was ready to play for Borussia Dortmund to stand a chance to play in UCL 2022-23; however, Dortmund refused to sign the player due to his salary. The report stated that the Portuguese national team captain was ready to take a 30% salary cut but the German club refused the transfer due to Ronaldo’s stature in world football and also the fact that he is now at the final stages of his career. However, the club's CEO said that there has been no contact with the player. Ronaldo and Manchester United will learn their fate for this season’s Europa League with the group stage draw to be staged in Istanbul on Friday.

UCL 2022-23: Opportunity for Lionel Messi to break Ronaldo's record 

Currently, Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer seems to be heading nowhere with the player likely to be at the club this season. However, his absence from UCL 2022-23 will see his record coming under serious threat from his long-time rival Lionel Messi. Messi will be playing UEFA Champions League football with Paris Saint-Germain and stands a chance to eclipse Ronaldo's 140 goals mark.

The UEFA Champions League draw saw PSG paired with Juventus, Benfica and Maccabi Haifa.

Currently, Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for being UEFA Champions League's all-time top-scorer with 140 goals. Lionel Messi is a close second with 125 goals and is likely to either break or equal his record if he scores 15 goals.