FanNation

Bigalke said 05/23, 11:37 AM
Except Ronaldo doesn't appear very happy @ ManU... he's been sending mixed messages about his happiness in Manchester ever since signing that new contract. As Eurosport reported, the cloud of suspicion surrounding Ronaldo's future at the club took some of the shine off their Champions League victory...

Contracts mean very little in soccer. An astronomical transfer fee can have any player... Denilson's signing back in 1998 opened the floodgates for mercenary-contract players everywhere...

And now Alex Ferguson has come out blasting Real Madrid today for making inroads to attempt to wrest Cristiano from the Red Devils. Madrid's boss, Bernd Schuster, said this about Ronaldo: "Sooner or later, Cristiano Ronaldo will wear the white shirt. I hope that it is when I am still at the club. If there is any chance of signing him, Real Madrid have to try it."

ManU definitely wants to keep Ronaldo... but it is less clear that the enigmatic Portugese dynamo wants to keep ManU. I would give this an even 50% split -- he is as likely to be wearing the white kit of "Los Galacticos" next year (or any of the other numerous suitors) as he is to be wearing the red and black of Manchester United...

Bigalke said 05/23, 12:32 PM
Sure, Ronaldo is insisting NOW that he wants to stay @ ManU... but what was his feelings a week ago? A month ago? This guy is not entirely happy as a Red Devil... and how often have you heard someone say "I am definitely going to be here" only to be gone a week later? This is akin to a Rich Rodriguez/Bobby Petrino situation -- it is very easy to say one thing to appease your current employer while simultaneously seeking new opportunities elsewhere...

From David Beckham to Ruud van Nistelrooy, ManU has a history of taking Real Madrid's often gargantuan transfer fees. Ronaldo is a great talent, but money talks in soccer more than any one player can on the pitch -- and the right offer, from Real Madrid or ANY OTHER club, has a 50/50 chance of enticing United to make the move...

In the rosy glow of the European Cup, it certainly appears that Cristiano wants to stay... but once the sheen dissipates, the fact remains: Is he REALLY happy at Manchester?

From Eurosport today:

""I don't promise nothing, I don't promise nothing to my mum, I don't promise nothing to the supporters. I want to stay, but the future... no-one knows."

Doesn't sound 95-99% certain to me...

Bigalke said 05/23, 01:18 PM
Except there is no guarantee of winning NEXT season... what I am asserting here is the fallacy in you presuming that, merely because he has won a Champions League crown & Premier League title with ManU, Ronaldo is near GUARANTEED to stay there...

He could be just as happy winning at Real Madrid... you know, the club with more European Cups than any other? Yeah, them, the team which has won the Primera Liga the past two seasons & finished a narrow second the other two...

There are many things at play here, and the fact that he just won hardware with the Red Devils is but one part of the equation. If Manchester could set themselves up for the next decade with a mind-boggling transfer fee from Ronaldo, they are shrewd enough to do so without undue emotion. Ronaldo would certainly not be averse to a move to another league's powerhouse -- after all, players these days judge themselves by how many major leagues they can dominate in their career...

Both parties are far too smart from a business sense (and soccer has become BIG BUSINESS) to turn down an advantageous deal... the odds are equal whether Ronaldo will wear a Manchester United kit or another team's jersey next season... 50%!