Ronaldo at it again

Oh dear! Cristiano Ronaldo is at it again. Even though the ink has yet to dry on his 80 million pound move to Real Madrid from Manchester United, the World Player of the Year is winding everyone up. And does he know how to do so. In an interview with a French magazine, provided everyone got the translation right, he apparently reveals that he loves antagonism.

He’s reported to have said “I do not care whether opposition supporters like me or not. I love it when people jeer me. It doesn’t bother me.” Well, fair enough. Everyone gets their motivation from somewhere. Whether it’s praise from the supporters or the manager, a few little digs from the national press, scoring goals, picking up silverware or a regular place in the team.

Cristiano Ronaldo has made no bones about the fact that he likes to be in the international spotlight, one of his reasons for moving to Real Madrid. After all, there will be no greater stage as new president Florentino Perez bids to build the greatest football team in the world. Perhaps Ronaldo believes his new world record-breaking status earns him the right to put himself right up their on the highest pedestal. But he won’t be endearing himself to everyone and we can expect some fireworks on and off the pitch.

Football enthusiasts will well remember the 2006 World Cup when he was targeted by fans for his part in the sending off of Wayne Rooney during England’s match against Portugal. Ronaldo says “It’s true a lot of people hate me but there are even more who love me. I feel bad only when I play bad. But for me, that does not happen very often. I want to rewrite the history of football. I am aware I am already among the best of the best.”

Wow. What an ego. Although there will be many raised eyebrows at his comments, most people will be able to shrug them off and have a bit of a laugh at his expense. He’s a great player, yes, and we will excuse him if diplomacy is not one of his strongest points. But there was one further comment in his interview which was out of order. “I love to see the hate in their eyes, to hear the insults.” Is this really the attitude we want to foster? Hate is a very strong word and not something which should be encouraged in football. Better to have a healthy respect for our rival teams.

Football today is all about families and encouraging children to follow the sport. When they read about one of their heroes welcoming insults and talking about hate, what sort of message does this send out? Clubs around the country are clamping down on thugs or fans who use bad language. It will not help matters if top players like Ronaldo simply add fuel to the fire. So come on Ronaldo. Have a think next time you are interviewed. Yes, talk about motivation and how you want to do the best for your players and your team. You have left one proud club to go to another with a long pedigree which prides itself on ethics and standards. Cut out the talk about hate and insults and show your determination where it matters most. On the pitch.

Inter Milan are the first side to cotton on.

Inter Milan have become the first side to cotton on to how to deal with the Real Madrid spending fiasco. The Italian champions have quoted the Spanish shoppers a price of £80 million for front man, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. This means that if Real want to sign their man then they will have to pay the same price that they have just offered Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo.

It appears that Jose Mourinho is no mug and this news is the first bit of evidence that the Italian giants are the first to know how to handle the Madrid spending spree. Madrid seem intent on buying their way back to success and out of trouble and are looking to poach the best players from sides all over Europe.

The way to combat this is quite simple; think of the most ridiculous price that you would accept for each player and then quote that figure. This is exactly what Inter have done and it is the best proof yet that a club is standing up to Madrid and is refusing to be pushed around over their best talent.

It is highly unlikely that anyone at Madrid would rate Ibrahimovic in the same light as Ronaldo and Inter may have priced Madrid out of the market for their front man. It is quite a simple and clever tactic that has been used by Mourinho that allows the club to state that a player is not for sale in the only way that Madrid would understand.

By setting the price so high, they are effectively saying that their best player is their most valuable asset and a high price tag seems to be the only way to put Madrid off. If United had said that they wanted £130 million for Ronaldo then Florentino Perez may not have been so happy in signing a monumental cheque. It is completely pointless clubs selling off their best assets to a side that is deploying themselves in black and white.

This news could also prompt Madrid in having to reorganise slightly in the respect that it is likely to make other clubs adopt the same idea. They will already have a price in mind for many of their players but once they know Madrid are interested then they can put a few million on top because of the way Madrid are acting in the summer transfer market.

It is an incredibly backward way for football to be run but it is the only way to stop Madrid sniffing around a player in the same way that they did with Ronaldo, until they ultimately got their way. It seems that price tags are the only thing the Spanish side have come to understand and this may well spark light bulbs in the heads of many important people at big clubs.

Fair play to Mourinho for using some initiative to try and get a mega deal that would have seen a player sold for drastically more than he is actually worth. Madrid will now have to be careful with their next targets as clubs could now look to take advantage in mega proportions.

United need to rebuild quickly.

Now that the Cristiano Ronaldo saga is finally over, Manchester United are faced with another problem, the need to rebuild the current side quickly to cope with the loss. You can do an awful lot with £80 million but United are unlikely to receive the full amount all in one go, which means Sir Alex Ferguson will need to be wise in the way he handles the funds.

United have numerous options. They would do well to get Carlos Tevez on a permanent contract before he decides to go elsewhere. It is clear just how much the Argentine loves the club and the fans love him, a nice thing to consider when there are very few loyalties in the game. Tevez also has a work ethic that no amount of money can buy and although he will never have the quality that Ronaldo did, he is miles ahead in terms of effort and energy.

United will also need a world class winger to come in as well. A deal for Wigan’s Luis Valencia looks almost certain but it is likely that Ferguson will want to go for a real high calibre player to come in and strengthen things even further. Franck Ribery of Bayern Munich is one option but the German club’s price tag of over £50 million could put United off.

The club should have faith in the manager. There was a mixed reaction yesterday when news reached the fans about Ronaldo’s departure. Some were happy to see him go and others thought it was the end of the world. This not the first time Ferguson has got fed up with a player and eventually sold him, David Beckham, Roy Keane and Ruud Van Nistelrooy all went the same way. Each time Ferguson has come back and reinvented the side and still won numerous trophies.

It could be that through Ronaldo’s departure two or three doors of opportunity are opened up for United that would otherwise have not been there. It is naïve to say they won’t miss him because any player who leaves that can score 30 goals a season will be a massive loss. However, the point is that some of his performances this season were ordinary and buy freeing up funds and space for two or three more players, United could consolidate their challenge in England as well as in Europe.

Ferguson will probably already be hoping that his side face Real Madrid at some point next season just so he can show Ronaldo that he is not missed and that they do not need him. The potential finances that United have are now huge, they doubtless had a few million in the bank before the transfer and now that it has become a reality they could afford two absolutely world class players. Whether Ferguson goes down this route remains to be seen.

United have a very strong squad and will be looking to make it even stronger. Yes the fans should be down because they have lost a great player but it is pointless trying to keep someone who clearly wants to go elsewhere. Now Madrid have the ego problem and United can rebuild.