"Now I understand I made the best decision. I am with Manchester in body and soul."
The divine quote above was uttered by none other than Cristiano Ronaldo in August 2008 after a proposed deal with Real Madrid collapsed. Ronaldo would go on repeat the above quote, or something similar, several more times over the following 10 months, with the latest during a pre-match Champions League press conference in April.
And it goes to show you that Ronaldo, much like his future teammate Kaka, is either a very fickle minded human being or just a pathological liar. But he's not the only liar. Man Utd, which only a year ago refused to entertain any semblance of an offer for Ronaldo, wasted no time in announcing Madrid's bid was accepted.
Of course, why wouldn't they? If Madrid's crazy enough to offer GBP80 million, United would be stupid to turn it down when you consider the fact that Ronaldo is most certainly not worth GBP80 million based on his performance last season.
All the same, if this offer was made 12 months ago when Ronaldo was, at that time, arguably the best player in the world, chances are high United would have turned it down.
But that's not the only thing United's lied about. In their statement on their website, the club states that it has accepted Madrid's bid after "the request of Cristiano - who has again expressed his desire to leave - and after discussion with the player's representatives, United have agreed to give Real Madrid permission to talk to the player."
Yeah, that's right. United only decided to accept Madrid's after Ronaldo requested for a transfer. It has nothing to do with the fact the offer on the table is GBP80 million. Throw in another GBP20 million and Alex Ferguson can buy Newcastle United and use St James Park as the Devils' new training ground.
But that's all in the past now. The big question is whether this move will actually elevate the Spanish giants to European champions once more. On paper, or on Championship Manager, having Ronaldo and Kaka in the same team is akin to having the best team in the world. But what works on paper doesn't exactly translate to the same thing on the pitch as exemplified by the previous incarnation of the Galacticos.
More so, one wonders how Kaka feels about the bid for Ronaldo. I'm sure he won't take pride in knowing that he was the world's most expensive player for only week.
Well he certainly ain't worth that much. Question. Why are Real spending the GDP of Guam on attacking players and not doing anything to shore up the midfield and defence? I thought the problem last year wasn't so much in scoring goals, but rather in keeping them out of their own net...
ReplyDeleteOne more...who will United buy to replace Ronaldo?
The reports say Man Utd want Ribery but Bayern are putting a 140 euro price tag on the wantaway striker/attacking midfielder. I don't see Sir Alex spending the Ronaldo money on one player. Personally, I feel Fergie will spend the money on keeping Tevez and then see who he can buy for the balance.
ReplyDeleteIt really begs the question of whether these sides actually think there is only one player in the whole of the world that can improve their squad. I can understand Torres's anger that Spanish sides only value high profile foreigners. It is simply madness.. perhaps it is a reflection of the growth ( or expected) of the sport worldwide.. but in hindsight I think it's good for the sport in terms of publicity and raising it's profile.
ReplyDelete