Jun 11
Cristiano Ronaldo to Real – It’s Happening
It is now official. Manchester United Football Club has finally agreed to let Real Madrid talk to Cristiano Ronaldo. The clubs have arrived at an agreement for an unconditional 80 million pound price tag for the winger. According to the club’s website, the deal is expected to be closed by the end of June.
It is interesting to note that Manchester United bought the services of Ronaldo for about 12 million pounds, from Sporting Lisbon, in 2003, and by 2009, he has accomplished such great heights which has seen him win the FIFA Pro Player of the year in 2007-08, the World Player of The Year and the Ballon d’Or 2008.
Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo have been keen on doing business for quite some time now. It was the summer of 2008 when the football season was to begin that there was a huge debate about the future of Cristiano. There was a lot of speculation going on in the media, and a large number of comments had been made by all parties involved. Sir Alex Ferguson had even famously made a statement that, he wouldn’t be interested in selling even a “virus” to Real Madrid.
So what has changed?
For one, the money offered was huge. According to the MUFC website, Real Madrid would be paying the 80 million pounds, unconditionally, which in-effect would mean that the payment would be made upfront without any type of yearly settlement. It is a kind of exchange system – Real Madrid get the services of Cristiano Ronaldo and MUFC get LOTS of moolah.
Though Manchester United are not in a dire financial situation, they hardly could have ignored the money put forth. In these times of economic recession and even otherwise, 80 million pounds is a lot of money. The money earned from selling Ronaldo could be used for a wide variety of purposes, which could include paying off some of the debt that United have.
But the money is most likely going to be utilized for the purposes of improving the squad, as the team is seen to have gaps in various positions, such as Defensive Midfield and perhaps a striker; with the prospects of Carlos Tevez staying on looking slimer by the day. A replacement for Ronaldo himself is also to be looked out for (ahem…cue Ribery offer).
All in all, the deal looks like a win-win situation for all parties involved. Real Madrid get a player they need to challenge for the La Liga title, Cristiano Ronaldo gets to play for the club he so desires and Manchester United get a lot of money to build their squad or the pay off their debt. Great. Sorted. Done.
