Cristiano Ronaldo

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Ronaldo will never have another season like the one he had in 07/08.

How many players will?

Personally I think he'll be amazing for Real. Free role, no tracking back. He'll get 10 headers against Spainish centre backs a season for start.

[The whole year inn]

Ronaldo + 20 million = Newcastle United

[Ginger Ninjas]

soggy biscuit.. anyone who plays as striker for Real Madrid is bound to score about a million goals per season with the level of service you get there.
Even Bas Savage would get 30 for them.

TBH, I'd have thought he got a better level of service at Manchester. Presumably that's the issue Madrid are hoping to address with the signings of Kaka and Ronaldo.

Robben > Giggs
Sneijder > Scholes
van der Vaart = maradona

Really. How you can say he got better service at United.. doesn't make sense.

Even by your standards, that's a pretty ridiculous statement. Giggs, Beckham and Scholes spent a couple of seasons making Yorke and Cole look like world beaters, and subsequently RvN.

[Whore Jackie]

Even by your standards, that's a pretty ridiculous statement. Giggs, Beckham and Scholes spent a couple of seasons making Yorke and Cole look like world beaters, and subsequently RvN.

Oh yeah, and it's not like players get older at all?
Giggs 35
Scholes 35..

Of course in your mind it is 1999 constantly?

Pretty sure Giggs, Scholes and Beckham weren't 35, when van Nistelrooy joined Manchester United eight years ago.

[Ginger Ninjas]

Even by your standards, that's a pretty ridiculous statement. Giggs, Beckham and Scholes spent a couple of seasons making Yorke and Cole look like world beaters, and subsequently RvN.

Oh yeah, and it's not like players get older at all?
Giggs 35
Scholes 35..

Of course in your mind it is 1999 constantly?

Pretty sure Giggs, Scholes and Beckham weren't 35, when van Nistelrooy joined Manchester United eight years ago.

Thank you. Glad someone understood my point

[Seal]

I'm just delighted this has been resolved so quickly and we don't have to put up with an entire summer of 'will he won't he'.

I've been lucky enough to have to study the Real Madrid for work recently, and whilst it does seem like an extortionate figure to pay for a player, the model of buying these 'stars' really has worked for them - their revenue in 2001 was €138m, in 2008 it was €351m. That is extraordinary growth by any standard, and they outstripped Man U in this period (on a revenue basis at least).

Clearly it’s debatable how successful it’s been on the pitch, but it has been transformational off it, and I know they were desperate to land a couple of ‘superstars’ this summer, because they were becoming increasingly concerned that the ‘star’ status of the squad was waning. I’ve had it on record from a club director that their biggest concern each season is that the pool of truly great players is too small, and they won’t be able to continue to develop the club against this player acquisition strategy.

Having said all that they really should sign a top quality no nonsense centre back....

[Who Moved The Goalposts?]

Having said all that they really should sign a top quality no nonsense centre back....

How about Bikey for £20m

[TheMaraudingDog]

Much as I don't like Ferguson only once has he got the timing of selling a player wrong (and this an occasion that he freely admits himself). The player: Jaap Stam.

Look at the others he's sold who commanded big headlines:

Beckham - Posh Tart was starting to turn Beckham's head towards the continent
Keane - Was never going to get up to the level of his past and was increasingly becoming a loose cannon
Veron - LOL @ Chelsea paying £15M for a player who made 11 starts for them
Ince - had apparently become too much of a "Billy Big Bollocks".

And those are just for starters.

Van Nistelrooy has been (at least for the first 2 seasons) better at Real than he was at Utd, though if I remember right there was a personal issue between Ferguson & old horse face

I'm just looking at the number of goals banged in and that just don't add up

[soggy biscuit]

Van Nistelrooy has been (at least for the first 2 seasons) better at Real than he was at Utd, though if I remember right there was a personal issue between Ferguson & old horse face

I'm just looking at the number of goals banged in and that just don't add up

Haven't looked at the stats, always thought the goals he scored was about the same. He just became much more of a team player and helped to create a lot of goals for Madrid while at Utd he was almost always a goal poacher type forward.

[soggy biscuit]

Looks like Fergie was wrong. Having seen who Ronaldo was out partying with last night it looks like there will be a virus or 2 going to Madrid with Ronaldo this summer.

[daswonder]

Haven't looked at the stats, always thought the goals he scored was about the same. He just became much more of a team player and helped to create a lot of goals for Madrid while at Utd he was almost always a goal poacher type forward.

Didn't need to anything else at United considering the supply line.

[Royal Rother]

The biggest surprise here is that United’s season ticket ‘renewal deadline’ is June 14th. Poor timing from the club to let such information out just before they push everyone for £££

Graham Hunter said this was a done deal a year ago.

Do you think there is a possibility that it may indeed have been a "done deal" at the time and that the clubs reached a behind-the-scenes agreement that he would play one last season at Man Utd?

No chance that this was a done deal a year ago and it’s clearly the work of Perez who has just come on board, and doesn’t appear to be doing such a bad job in landing players. If it was done a year ago United wouldn’t be fussing over a couple of million with Tevez and we’d have hit on our targets before the news was to break as now each player we go for will be at an inflated price.

Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has admitted Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer from Manchester United was agreed last summer.

Calderon, who stepped down at the Bernabeu midway through last season, stopped short of confirming a pre-contract agreement was in place since last summer but confirmed the £80million deal was always in the pipeline.

"Last season United decided not to do it because they thought it was too early and everyone agreed to do it this season," Calderon told Five Live.

"And I think it's okay for the player - he wanted to come, he said that many times - it's okay for Real Madrid and also for Manchester United, who will get a lot of money for the transfer.

"I think it's going to be big event for Real Madrid, he is one of the best players in the world. He is going to help my former club get titles next season."

It is believed an agreement was in place since last summer for the transfer despite new president Florentino Perez now taking the credit for the coup but Calderon refused to confirm there was anything official.

"Let's say that everyone involved in the operation agreed to do it this season," he said. "That is what I can say. It has happened now, it was a bit early last season."

[Huntley & Palmer]

The wages being paid out are staggering :

1st year - £9.5 million
2nd year - £11.875 million
3rd year - £14.843 million
4th year - £18.554 million
5th year - £23.193 million
6th year - 28.991 million

[Tredder]

His wages whilst at Man Utd?

[Royal Rother]

The wages being paid out are staggering :

1st year - £9.5 million
2nd year - £11.875 million
3rd year - £14.843 million
4th year - £18.554 million
5th year - £23.193 million
6th year - 28.991 million

As the deal was in place a year ago, it is pretty clear that Ronaldo was playing for personal glory last season which is probably why he tried to make the Champions League Final into the Ronaldo Show, and why he was so pissed about being substituted against Man City.

Stating the obvious I suppose but Man Utd meant little to him last season.

[Victor Meldrew]

What will be interesting is how Man Utd cope next season with far-and-away their best player leaving.
There is no guarantee that Riberry,Berezma(?sp) or whoever else comes in will be an immediate hit and with the aged Giggs,Scholes,Neville and Van der Sar as well as what looks like an injury-prone Ferdinand and speculation about Vidic moving on it could be a much changed Man Utd side which gives serious hope to the rest.

[daswonder]

The wages being paid out are staggering :

1st year - £9.5 million
2nd year - £11.875 million
3rd year - £14.843 million
4th year - £18.554 million
5th year - £23.193 million
6th year - 28.991 million

Remember though he is signing away 50% of his image rights when he signs for Madrid so this is the reason for the ridiculous wages.

[Alan Partridge]

What I would say is people said the same things when Schemiechel retired, Beckham went,VNistelrooy went, Stam went.....Ferguson like Wenger know when the time is right for players to move on. If Ronaldo isn't going to be at 100% for them next year then he's not worth having around. He didn't just turn into a superstar, a few years ago he was all show with nothing to back it up. Man Utd replace these players and always have done. Foster is ready to take over from VDS for me, Jonny Evans looks a really good young defender, they might get the best out of Rooney with him more central and they will of course buy players.

They will still be very strong next season regardless.

[TBM]

The wages being paid out are staggering :

1st year - £9.5 million
2nd year - £11.875 million
3rd year - £14.843 million
4th year - £18.554 million
5th year - £23.193 million
6th year - 28.991 million

Remember though he is signing away 50% of his image rights when he signs for Madrid so this is the reason for the ridiculous wages.

Exactly - apparently in 10 years Ronaldo will have made Madrid £500m in shirt sales

[Huntley & Palmer]

The wages being paid out are staggering :

1st year - £9.5 million
2nd year - £11.875 million
3rd year - £14.843 million
4th year - £18.554 million
5th year - £23.193 million
6th year - 28.991 million

Remember though he is signing away 50% of his image rights when he signs for Madrid so this is the reason for the ridiculous wages.

Exactly - apparently in 10 years Ronaldo will have made Madrid £500m in shirt sales

They reckon they will sell over 30 million shirts, which is pretty much impossible to be honest.