James White

The Cristiano Ronaldo saga seems no closer to ending and will probably drag on for a while yet. For me this raises many more issues than the obvious question of, will he wont he? Although the player himself has dropped many hints that he wants to “fulfil his dream” of joining Real Madrid the only direct comment he has made about the situation is “If the figures being quoted are right…….”. This is the clearest indication yet that the move is more about money than any other reason, which brings me to my first point. I know it has been said many times before but is modern football simply a case of money?

The obvious answer is yes, however I personally am a bit of a romantic and would like to believe this is not the case. There is no denying that like the modern global football fan who supports whatever team is winning at the time, across the world there are many players and managers alike that would gladly sell their soul in the pursuit of cash.

However, there are also many examples of the traditions that have made football the game true fans love. As a Liverpool fan the obvious players that spring to mind are Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. Admittedly well rewarded for what they do, but still local players playing for their local club, giving their all in every game and wearing their heart on their sleeve.

Many other great examples of this come from the other end of the M62 with arch-rivals Manchester United. “The Golden Generation” including players of the calibre of Giggs, Scholes and Neville, again well rewarded but very good examples that there is still loyalty in football. An example that team mate Ronaldo would do well to follow.

Sadly, for me, and I am sure many other fans out there this has now become more of an exception rather than norm. As not only does the game become more money orientated with each season that passes, but morals seem to be discarded and double standards more apparent.

The saga that comes close to a case that epitomises all that is wrong in modern football is that involving English midfielder Steve Sidwell. Sidwell was a promising, talented young player who had a host of clubs chasing him. Rather than joining a club that could move his career to the next level he decided to take the biggest cash offer on the table from Chelsea and sit out a season with a team where he was never going to make an impact, being behind Lampard, Ballack and Essien in the pecking order.

Chelsea also seem the obvious example of increasing moral disregard for the rules of the game. From Peter Kenyon to John Obi Mikel, the club has ridden roughshod over many rules knowing whenever challenged that money will make their problems disappear. It would take a truly naïve person to believe that “tapping up” doesn’t happen in football, however rarely has it been so public than with Ashley Cole, Jon Obi Mikel and even Frank Arnesen. All recent Chelsea cases.

Back with Ronaldo, Manchester United have been so incensed by the actions of Real Madrid that they reported them to FIFA. Despite publicly courting the player FIFA decided not to act as there was no evidence that they had contacted the player or his representatives directly. I personally feel that FIFA ducked out of making a decision due to a technicality and should make an example of Real Madrid. However you can’t help but see irony in the fact United report Real for doing the same thing they did in their pursuit of Owen Hargreaves.

Another issue this situation raises is just how good is Ronaldo and how important is he to the current Manchester United squad? His talent is unquestionable. After being the standout player of the World Cup in 2006 he continued his form in the Premier League, having an outstanding season in 2006-07 establishing himself as one of the best players in the world. In the 2007-08 season Ronaldo improved still further scoring over 40 goals picking up every personal accolade available including Player of the year and European Golden Boot and helping his team to a league and Champions League double.

Despite all this, questions still remain as to weather he is a “big game player” mainly due to the fact he was outshone by Lionel Messi in their Champions League semi-final meeting. I personally think this is an unfounded claim as highlighted by his goal in the final. With Lionel Messi at Real Madrid’s arch-rival Barcelona there is no better player they could bring into their squad, which is why Real seem prepared to smash the world record transfer fee to land the player.

Despite his massive talent Ronaldo’s importance to the United team is debatable. With the standard of players around him it could be argued that losing him would have minimal impact providing the money raised by his sale was reinvested wisely. With Sir Alex Ferguson’s record in the transfer market there are few better placed to find a replacement for the talented Portuguese.

In contrast there are others that believe losing him would be disastrous to the club. It appears Ferguson could be in the latter school of thought. Not one to suffer fools lightly he has no qualms with selling star players when he feels they are getting above their station. Examples in the past include Jaap Stam, David Beckham, Ruud Van Nilstelrooy and Roy Keane, all mainstays of the team until they fell out with their manager.

Ferguson was prepared to sacrifice their talent in order to keep harmony at the club, yet despite Ronaldo’s flirtation over the move and refusal to talk to the club, the manager seems as determined as ever to hold onto his prize asset. He knows any potential targets are well within his budget without the need to sell a player who could be impossible to replace.

What is still to be seen is if Ronaldo does actually want to leave or if he is simply playing the situation in order to obtain a new more lucrative contract. If Ferguson is prepared to let the player go, or if simply trying to get a bigger transfer fee, with Real Madrid bizarrely changing their stance of late as if Ronaldo has already unofficially committed to the move, remains to be seen.

The situation can not be resolved until the player makes his feeling known. Until then United will remain in limbo in the transfer market as they will not know where they need to strengthen until they know if the player will be there next season or not.

The only certainty here is there will be many more column inches filled until the situation is resolved one way or another. For the good of his club Ronaldo should address the situation as soon as possible, however with Euro 2008 drawing to a dramatic conclusion it will give me and many other neutrals the soap opera drama we all need to keep us entertained until the start of the new season.