According to reports from Sport, summarised in English by Off The Post, Cristiano Ronaldo has made a ‘peace pact’ with Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez that will see him leave the Bernabeu at the end of the season.
What’s the word?
Spanish publication Sport claim Cristiano Ronaldo and former Liverpool gaffer Rafa Benitez have agreed a ‘peace pact’ or ‘entente cordiale’ to cool heightening tensions between the pair as the three-time Ballon d’Or winner begins the search for a new club with the help of agent Jorge Mendes. They allege the pair feel the forward’s ‘cycle’ at the club has come to an end.
Sport’s declarations are certainly audacious but by no means in a vacuum; rumours of Ronaldo and Benitez’ frosty relationship, and subsequently his plans to leave at the end of the season, have circulated for some time. Last week, French journalist Frederic Hermel claimed alleged suitors Manchester United and PSG, as well as clubs from the MLS, have a ‘great chance’ of signing the 30 year-old next summer.
Why does Ronaldo want to leave Real Madrid? What evidence suggests this?
Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer charts
Mendes has claimed in the past that Ronaldo will retire a Real Madrid player. But earlier this month, club president Florentino Perez said that he ‘can’t be sure‘ of such a scenario, which in itself is a rather big statement considering how crucial the forward is to the Spanish giants’ success.
Furthermore, Ronaldo will turn 31 in February and it may simply be that he wants a new challenge, especially now that he’s just two goals shy of Raul’s top scorer record at the Bernabeu, and with his contract entering it’s final two years come the summer, it will be Real Madrid’s best chance of securing a huge fee for their flagship talent.
Meanwhile, reports of the Portugal international and Benitez struggling to get along span back to pre-season, when Ronaldo was heard to shout “It’s meant to be the ball in there, in the net. Not this s—,” at his new manager, whose training methods apparently include the crossbar challenge. Likewise, Benitez recently questioned the forward’s status as the best player in the world, which is a big no-no in the Spanish capital.
Would Manchester United want to re-sign him?
Admittedly, a move to PSG seems somewhat more likely. First and foremost, Ligue 1 represents a challenge Ronaldo is yet to conquer, made all the more enticing by the fact the Parisians aren’t a European institution in the same manner as Real Madrid or Bayern Munich; the Portuguese could leave a real legacy behind if he helps them claim an inaugural Champions League title.
Likewise, reports of PSG’s interest in Ronaldo are by no means uncommon. There’s a long-standing theory that they intend to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic with the equally enigmatic Real Madrid star when his Parc de Princes contract expires at the end of the season. The French champions certainly have the financial muscle to do so and they require world-class profiles like Ronaldo to continue attracting top talents to a relatively uncompetitive domestic league.
On the other hand, Ronaldo has always insinuated that he’ll one day return to Old Trafford. But he doesn’t particularly fit the youth-orientated model of manager Louis van Gaal, who spent £61million on winger-forwards Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial during the summer. The 122-cap international’s re-emergence in Manchester could have a hugely detrimental impact on their development, because he would command a spot in the first team instantaneously.
How reliable is the story?
Most reports that come from Spain have to be taken with a pinch of salt. Their newspapers tend to have a pro-Barcelona or pro-Real Madrid bias, so many will take Sport’s article as simply fear mongering. Likewise, it lacks concrete evidence as is on the whole, based upon a rumour.
But it’s quite clear that Ronaldo and Benitez aren’t on the best of terms and for the many reasons discussed above, next summer would be a good time to bring the Portuguese’s incredibly successful Los Blancos career to an end; his contract will enter its final two years, he’ll have turned 31 and barring serious injury, he’ll have smashed Raul’s top scorer record by quite some distance.
The chances of him turning up at Manchester United, however, still seem relatively unlikely.
Also in the news this week:
Chelsea to beat Spurs to 6 foot 2 battering ram with £20m bid
Liverpool line up January swoop for Primeira Liga prodigy
Man United disappoint six clubs by holding onto youngster
Record-breaker set to sign terms with Arsenal
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