Few Manchester United fans will forget the impact the scrawny, skinny 19-year-old boy from Portugal had in his six years at Old Trafford. Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Manchester United in 2003, and in six years, was turned to the best player in the world, consistently improving season after season with his sheer will to develop and topple the previous season’s best. He won everything to win in England, and in ’09, got signed to Real Madrid in a deal worth £80m deal, then a world record, which has proved to be a bargain given the height of success he has had at the 12-time European Champions.
A recent case of tax evasion fraud case is threatening to end the bromance, and we have seen this before. He signed a new £350k-a-week deal last September, and with the purported £500k-a-week offer for rival, Messi at Barcelona, Ronaldo’s recent tantrums are seen as a ruse to get a new contract close to what Messi will get.
The rivalry between both players has transcended to going off the pitch, and that admission by Ronaldo that he is looking to leave Spain has thrown a number of top European clubs on alert mode, including former club, United. However, with Ronaldo looking to equal Messi in the Ballon d’Or numbers next January, it wouldn’t make sense to leave at this point to a club trying to find its way to the table of top European clubs, on the pitch that is.
The presence of compatriot, Jose Mourinho in the Old Trafford dugout may also mean that a deal isn’t likely to come to fruition. The pair clashed while the manager was at Real, and with both being so egostical, it would be a forced marriage, not one based on emotions. Ronaldo still has a lot to achieve in Spain, and if the tax case is resolved, he may yet stay on to improve his legendary status.
