So Cristiano Ronaldo has gone and done it. The Portuguese forward finally came out yesterday and revealed what most of us were suspecting – that he no longer wants to play for Manchester United and would prefer to join the club so fond of flattering to deceive instead – Real Madrid. Not that a move from England to Spain is guaranteed, with plenty of negotiations and discussion to take place first.
However, The Times reports that the world’s best player has said his piece and now no longer wants to talk with anyone about his club future until after Euro 2008. Audaciously, this includes Sir Alex Ferguson, who must be seething at the fact that Ronaldo has stopped him from making contact or visiting Portugal’s training camp in an attempt to speak with the player.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s faltering relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson appeared to deteriorate further yesterday when the Portugal winger effectively banned the Manchester United manager from visiting his country’s European Championship training camp.
In an embarrassing snub, Ronaldo has told team-mates that Ferguson is not welcome in Switzerland, bringing a premature end to proposals for peace talks that surfaced in the light of his continued flirtation with Real Madrid.
Goodness me, one suspects that this saga has a long way to run yet. Things are clearly now on hold for all three parties until the end of June, when a player, his advisors and two of the biggest football clubs in the world attempt to resolve the situation. Fergie will be angry a) because he’s losing his best player, b) because United won’t win anything without him, c) because he’s going to have egg on his face and d) because Real Madrid are set to have the last laugh.
Should he just step down as Man United manager and leave Carlos Queiroz to pick up the pieces?