Will Ronaldo leave Real Madrid this summer?
It’s been full week since Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused of tax fraud in Spain.
And from the first moment a story about a £134.5 million Real Madrid reportedly payed their player in image rights just before a tax exemption in Spanish law was about to end caused a legal stir back in Spain, another story broke almost simultaneously.
A familiar story as well, the one linking Real Madrid superstar with a move away from Santiago Bernabeu. Manchester United fans got exhilarated over the prospect of seeing their favourite star back at Old Trafford as transfer rumour gathered enormous pace over the past couple of days.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s cryptic Instagram post and a message that ‘Sometimes the best answer is to be quiet’ did nothing to alleviate the speculation and while the Portugal frontman continues to fight for glory at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia – which Portugal stand at 11/4 betting odds to win by the way – the British media continue to spread the word on his possible return.
In the meantime, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez stepped up under the limelight to comment on the biggest story of the summer thus far, claiming he intends to speak to Cristiano Ronaldo after the Confederations Cup, adding that he ‘is not contemplating’ the possibility of him leaving the Santiago Bernabeu.
“Life is long and you don’t know what can happen. Let’s see. We’ll listen to him”, said Perez in a manner that oozed care and concern not to disrupt his first-team star any further however.
One thing is quite obvious from the entire story, Cristiano Ronaldo is concerned. With Spanish authorities hot on his heels, Ronaldo risks losing money and reputation but my personal conviction is that he won’t be leaving Real Madrid this summer.
Here are the five reasons to support such belief.
Real Madrid WILL NOT sell him
Cristiano Ronaldo is too important of an asset for Real Madrid to let him leave without proper fight. Florentino Perez has vowed to talk with Los Blancos star and a compromise is likely to be made on the grounds that both sides have mutual interest in continuing together.
Florentino Perez gave an address this week to mark his re-election as the Bernabeu president for further four years and he was rather careful while touching the Cristiano Ronaldo subject. One sentence, however, made a resounding effect.
Cristiano has a contract and he is a Real Madrid player.”, said Perez.
Los Blancos chief cannot afford to lose the club’s main star in a presidential year and is sure to put plenty of pressure on Ronaldo to make him stay. Sports aspect and a marketing side are another two significant elements that still make Cristiano Ronaldo the world’s biggest star, so it is hard to imagine Real Madrid would just sit and watch while their star leaves.
No One Can Afford Him
Even if Cristiano Ronaldo went on to push for a move and insisted to be transfer listed by the Spanish giants, there are not many sides that could afford him at this moment. Despite being a man well past his prime years, Cristiano Ronaldo is still on top of his game and in an impeccable physical condition and Real Madrid would not just hold the door for him as leaves Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid all-time leading scorer is sure to command a gargantuan transfer fee that would eclipse that Manchester United paid to bring Paul Pogba back from Juventus. The Red Devils were thought to be preparing a whopping £175 million deal that would also include goalkeeper David De Gea, but those claims are simply ludicrous.
The Spanish giants will of course not be receiving the equally ridiculous close to £1 billion release clause said to be in his contract, but a reported £310 million would a more realistic amount. Realistic maybe, but impossible to match definitely.
Manchester United would definitely think twice before making their move, but a Chinese side wouldn’t.
China Move Would Not Be of Ronaldo’s Interest
From a financial point of view, the Chinese Super League might be the only top division in the world that could present Ronaldo with a lucrative enough offer.
The Forbes’ highest-paid athlete on the planet would surely not accept a move to China regardless how lucrative it may be as it would put an effective end to his Ballon d’Or hopes.
Despite being constantly labelled as egoistic player, Ronaldo was never perceived as a persona motivated solely by monetary gain. Personal accolades and collective trophies behind it are the two things that push him forward and I am sure that any potential Chinese offer would swiftly be pushed off of the table since Champions League is where he wants to remain.
Competitive Angle
This brings us to a competitive angle of the entire story.
Having just won the domestic title and the Champions League title, Cristiano Ronaldo finds himself amidst a dynastic reign at Real Madrid. With a stellar squad centred around him as the focal point of the team, a potential move away from Santiago Bernabeu would definitely be a step down for Cristiano Ronaldo – both from a personal and collective perspective.
This might not be a thing Manchester United fans would like to hear right now, but comparisons between an English project at its beginning and a well-established Spanish plan being executed upon strong foundations are simply unfounded.
Los Blancos are the pinnacle of football excellence and their most recent exploits can be described as such thanks to none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. So why would he leave the side with which he could win trophies and titles with?
Don’t Trust Everything You Read
The football world was quick to go into utter hysteria over Cristiano Ronaldo’s potential departure with even the most reliable of media outlets falling in a familiar trap.
The likes of Marca, BBC, Sky Sports, AS and various other sources have been competing who would produce a more stunning story over the past couple of days. Some went that far as to claim the player himself has made the ‘irrevocable’ decision to leave, which at no point has been suggested, let alone confirmed.
It is hard to imagine Cristiano Ronaldo as a top athlete and utter professional being ‘angry and betrayed’ by lack of support from his club however. He is an emotional human being and his emotions might get the best of him sometimes, but a professional as focused as he is would never allow himself such childish outbursts.
Let us not fall in the same trap and let us take the entire story with a pinch of salt. After all, Ronaldo has been moved out of Real Madrid for the past couple of summers and Spanish tax authorities have, in my opinion, only greased the old rumour mill. Nothing more.
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