My how the world can change in 6 months...Sir Alex Ferguson's famous quote from last year seemed to suggest that Cristiano Ronaldo would not see his dream move to Real Madrid happen any time soon. Yet here we are 6 months and $131m/£80m later...
As a Utd fan, do I think this is good news for Utd? Maybe.
Reason #1
A player widely regarded as the world's best (or at least second best to Barcelona's Lionel Messi) will always be missed and is almost impossible to replace, certainly like for like. On his day Ronaldo brought speed, power, skills and inspiration to the Utd attack; the trouble is, like a petulant schoolboy who thinks he's better than the rest of his team, it all too often became the Ronaldo show - a bit like the recent Champions League final where he was anything but a team player. We won't miss that...
Reason #2
Pardon my French, but $131m/£80m is a shit load of money! Let's also assume that one or two underperformers may also go this off-season (Nani was a sure bet to leave until this news), the fund might make it up to $160m/£100m. Assuming SAF is able to spend it on players (and it's not used to service debt) then that could buy you 3 or 4 world class players. Carlos Tevez may stay now, bang goes £25m, but who may arrive? Another striker, a combative midfielder - perhaps the money could be spent cloning Roy Keane's DNA - another winger? 23-year-old Ecuador winger Antonio Valencia, has been linked with a move to Old Trafford by British media.
Reason #3
This may bring on the regeneration of SAF's final Utd team. Scholes (turns 35 during next season), Neville (35) and Giggs (36) will become even more bit-part players next season, Van der Sar (39) has one good year left. Those 4 have nearly 2200 appearances between them. £80m or £100m will allow us to shore up the gaps those guys will leave.
Reason #4
Attitude. No one is bigger than the club - just ask David Beckham! Ronaldo was increasingly seen as a divisive influence at United, openly challenging SAF's authority. In the last weeks of the season he angrily swiped at some TV equipment while shaking his head in clear annoyance when substituted against Manchester City. When he missed a shot against Wigan, he answered Ferguson back from the pitch while shrugging his shoulders; that was the death knell, and we watched it ring...The exact same thing happened in 2003 with David Beckham.
Reason #5
Linked to #4...Desire. Who want's a player whose heart is somewhere else? Ronaldo's performance this season was a shadow of last year. Was that down to the speculation last summer? Maybe. Ronaldo is keen to join a club has just had its first trophyless season in three years while United won a third straight Premier League title, the Club World Cup, and the League Cup as well as making the final of the Champions League and the Semi-finals of the FA Cup. Strange decision? But then it does rain a lot in Manchester; that must be tough for a boy who grew up in on the paradise isle of Madeira!
Whatever happens, I think this is a great opportunity to 'go shopping'. Many thought Utd would not be the same after Roy Keane left...and to a degree we weren't because SAF didn't try to replace the irreplaceable. He restructured to share the load and fill the void left behind. That should be the strategy now - let's not try to 'replace' Ronaldo by overpaying for an illustrious winger. Let's free Rooney up to be the troublesome roaming striker he should be, rather than wasting his talent and energy in left midfield. Let's sign on Tevez as an attacking midfielder to play behind Rooney and Berbatov (unless we can persuade someone to take him off our hands for £25m). I like the idea of a winger - not Nani, I think he's had his shot and blew it - but let's not waste £50m on Frank Ribery (Bayern Munich). And let's not forget Owen Hargreaves. If he can recover from his troublesome knee issues, that will be like a new £20m signing.
Van der Sar, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Rafael, Carrick, Hargreaves, Valencia, Tevez, Rooney, Berbatov (or new striker) - with Fletcher, Giggs, Scholes and a couple of new faces on the bench, that's still a team that could win stuff.
With the Champions League draw in August - what price Utd and Real Madrid meeting in the same group!?
As a Utd fan, do I think this is good news for Utd? Maybe.
Reason #1
A player widely regarded as the world's best (or at least second best to Barcelona's Lionel Messi) will always be missed and is almost impossible to replace, certainly like for like. On his day Ronaldo brought speed, power, skills and inspiration to the Utd attack; the trouble is, like a petulant schoolboy who thinks he's better than the rest of his team, it all too often became the Ronaldo show - a bit like the recent Champions League final where he was anything but a team player. We won't miss that...
Reason #2
Pardon my French, but $131m/£80m is a shit load of money! Let's also assume that one or two underperformers may also go this off-season (Nani was a sure bet to leave until this news), the fund might make it up to $160m/£100m. Assuming SAF is able to spend it on players (and it's not used to service debt) then that could buy you 3 or 4 world class players. Carlos Tevez may stay now, bang goes £25m, but who may arrive? Another striker, a combative midfielder - perhaps the money could be spent cloning Roy Keane's DNA - another winger? 23-year-old Ecuador winger Antonio Valencia, has been linked with a move to Old Trafford by British media.
Reason #3
This may bring on the regeneration of SAF's final Utd team. Scholes (turns 35 during next season), Neville (35) and Giggs (36) will become even more bit-part players next season, Van der Sar (39) has one good year left. Those 4 have nearly 2200 appearances between them. £80m or £100m will allow us to shore up the gaps those guys will leave.
Reason #4
Attitude. No one is bigger than the club - just ask David Beckham! Ronaldo was increasingly seen as a divisive influence at United, openly challenging SAF's authority. In the last weeks of the season he angrily swiped at some TV equipment while shaking his head in clear annoyance when substituted against Manchester City. When he missed a shot against Wigan, he answered Ferguson back from the pitch while shrugging his shoulders; that was the death knell, and we watched it ring...The exact same thing happened in 2003 with David Beckham.
Reason #5
Linked to #4...Desire. Who want's a player whose heart is somewhere else? Ronaldo's performance this season was a shadow of last year. Was that down to the speculation last summer? Maybe. Ronaldo is keen to join a club has just had its first trophyless season in three years while United won a third straight Premier League title, the Club World Cup, and the League Cup as well as making the final of the Champions League and the Semi-finals of the FA Cup. Strange decision? But then it does rain a lot in Manchester; that must be tough for a boy who grew up in on the paradise isle of Madeira!
Whatever happens, I think this is a great opportunity to 'go shopping'. Many thought Utd would not be the same after Roy Keane left...and to a degree we weren't because SAF didn't try to replace the irreplaceable. He restructured to share the load and fill the void left behind. That should be the strategy now - let's not try to 'replace' Ronaldo by overpaying for an illustrious winger. Let's free Rooney up to be the troublesome roaming striker he should be, rather than wasting his talent and energy in left midfield. Let's sign on Tevez as an attacking midfielder to play behind Rooney and Berbatov (unless we can persuade someone to take him off our hands for £25m). I like the idea of a winger - not Nani, I think he's had his shot and blew it - but let's not waste £50m on Frank Ribery (Bayern Munich). And let's not forget Owen Hargreaves. If he can recover from his troublesome knee issues, that will be like a new £20m signing.
Van der Sar, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Rafael, Carrick, Hargreaves, Valencia, Tevez, Rooney, Berbatov (or new striker) - with Fletcher, Giggs, Scholes and a couple of new faces on the bench, that's still a team that could win stuff.
With the Champions League draw in August - what price Utd and Real Madrid meeting in the same group!?
I say get Cantona's son Raphael in for training, he's only 11 but who cares!
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