sport news Cristiano Ronaldo DENIES convincing Tom Brady to come out of retirement trends now

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Cristiano Ronaldo is not the reason Tom Brady returned to the NFL after a brief 40-day retirement earlier this season, the Manchester United star told Piers Morgan in an exclusive interview.

Ronaldo and Brady were seen chitchatting on the Old Trafford pitch at a March 12 match, one day before the seven-time Super Bowl champion announced he'd be returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 23rd NFL season at age 45.

There has been speculation that being in the presence of an aging superstar, like Ronaldo, persuaded Brady to play another season. The 37-year-old Ronaldo, however, denies weighing in on the matter.

'Whatever you said to him, the next day, he comes out of retirement,' Morgan, a self-professed die-hard Ronaldo fan, told the Portuguese star.

'Psychology, see,' Ronaldo joked. 'I'm a good psychologist.'

Ronaldo then switched gears, denying any responsibility for Brady's decision.

'I think he had taken the decision a few weeks before that,' Ronaldo said. 'He's a very smart guy who knows a lot about football [soccer], we had a nice conversation. I don't think that had anything to do with it, though.'