No sooner did Cristiano Ronaldo have the World Player of the Year trophy in his grasp than Real Madrid were announcing to anyone willing to listen that he was about to join them in the summer.

Yet another unashamedly orchestrated attempt by the frustrated Spaniards to lure the world’s best player from the world’s top club – Manchester United. They tried it all last summer and failed; now they’ve set up the circus tent again.

The Spanish aren’t very subtle when it comes to “tapping up” a player. Living in Spain I see it almost every day.

A word in the ear of highly-respected sports journalist and TV punter Guillem Balague and it’s a headline-grabber in every tabloid, on every sports programme and on his own website. If Balague says Ronaldo has struck a deal with Real chief Ramon Calderon to join them in the summer, it has to be true.

The news, in fact, came as no surprise to Sir Alex Ferguson. “We expected this in January. We’re not fazed by it and just have to accept that this kind of thing happens.” was his cursory brush-off.

After all, it was Ferguson who talked sense into Ronaldo last summer when the Portuguese youngster seemed intent on making the switch to the Bernabeu after he had made a clean sweep of all the individual player awards.


http://www.sportingo.com/football/a11031_five-reasons-why-manchester-united-cristiano-ronaldos-real-home