SPORTS NOTES EXTRA - RONALDO'S $#!T HITS THE FAN

James Loving/National Radio Text Service

It's like a page out of a Wild Wild West movie script where the bad guy is going to break his buddy out of jail and set him free. The bad guy in this case is Real Madrid chairman Florentino Perez the man who shoots straight and tells everyone who he's gunning for

Friday June 12, 2009

Ronaldo Turns His Back on Man U

Within hours of our filing our KA KA signs with Real Madrid story where we questioned Ronaldo's loyalty to Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson the news broke out that Manchester Untied agreed to his request for a transfer to Real Madrid.

It's like a page out of a Wild Wild West movie script where the bad guy is going to break his buddy out of jail and set him free. The bad guy in this case is Real Madrid chairman Florentino Perez the man who shoots straight and tells everyone who he's gunning for.

When Perez returned to the club last month he brazenly said that he wanted to bring Ka Ka and Ronaldo to the club though they both had contracts with their respective clubs A.C. Milan and Man U. Perez drew his pistol and first set his sights on Ka Ka and who he signed earlier in the week for US $92 million. Within days he drew his pistol again and went after Manchester United and had the nerve to say that in order for him to sign the Portuguese International that he would have to receive permission from Man U to do so.

In the past Ferguson has said that he wouldn't sell Real Madrid a virus. You could almost see the writing on the wall during the Champions League final when for the first 10 minutes Ronaldo relentlessly tried to break through the Barcelona defense and score a goal. He appeared to be a one man team. When Barcelona finally got control and Eto'o scored their first goal in the 10th minute Man U became unraveled. From that point watching Barcelona rip apart Man U was like witnessing a school of Piranha fish chewing up a large whale.

Ronaldo was disgusted and expressed to the media that he didn't like Ferguson's game tactics. It seemed that he was looking for a reason to leave the club.

By the breaking news that Man U agreed to sell the malcontent FIFA Player of the Year for a record setting US $131 million transfer fee drew anger from UEFA president Michel Platini who noted that it was an outrageous sum. Barcelona boss Joan Laporta said of the Real deal, "They paid too much."

After the news you can picture Perez blowing the smoke away from the barrel of his gun with Sonny and Cher singing in the background BANG BANG... I SHOT YOU DOWN... BANG BANG... YOU HIT THE GROUND…… as he rides off into the sunset with his prize signings.

The Ronaldo deal is expected to be officially finalized by the end of the month. Word has it that the 24-year-old FIFA 2008 World Player Award recipient will receive a David Beckham like US $50 million in the sixth year of the deal. You can say what you want about Real Madrid and Perez's raiding tactics but you have to respect their honesty for calling their shots before taking them. The cloudy issue is the rumor that Ronaldo previously agreed months ago to join Real Madrid for the upcoming season. It is a rumor that he denied.

Real is a privately owned and funded club with 93,000 members that translates that into that they can do what they want. They are said to have US $350 million to spend on transfers this season to rebuild the club. With Ka Ka's US $92 million and Ronaldo's US $131 million there is US $127 million remaining. That's almost enough to purchase an English Premiere league club. To put that into perspective the Newcastle FC is up for sale for only £100 million. Reports are that Liverpool's Rafael Benitez was informed by the clubs cash strapped American owners that he would only have US $20 million available to him for player acquisitions.

For any player who signs with the Real from this point on they may feel like the crumbs on a crumb cake as the cake will definitely be Ronaldo and Ka Ka.

At this point Ronaldo hasn't spoken directly to the press as he said to be on holiday in Hollywood, California David Beckham's second home and where Beckham's and Ronaldo's managers exist. So…. is it really a holiday or more so about taking care of business (excuse us BTO) and setting this deal into play?

The felling among those previously associated with Man U is that Man U agreed to the deal since the money involved is substantial and Ronaldo has been creating the Beckham effect where he is more of a distraction than his value. The word is Ferguson has had enough of the disruption and let someone else deal with it.

Ronaldo's value increased from US $20 million when Man U acquired him from Sporting Club de Portugal to the now US $131 million Real Madrid offer. As in the case of Beckham's departure no player is bigger than the club. Beckham's celebrity did him in not his lack of playing skills. With Ronaldo the ongoing media circus surrounding the repeated questions regarding his intentions to stay or leave United was becoming more of a distraction that what it's worth.

Though Ronaldo repeatedly stated that he was going to remain with the club his true colors are coming out. His dishonesty could be interpreted as a reflection of his lack of integrity and not being forthright like a man.

His going Hollyweird is nothing new as he enjoys the limelight and camera attention when he works as a model or doing commercials. In Hollyweird he will have more of that and it wouldn't be surprising if he bought a home there and pursue acting and modeling career's since his managers are closely associated with American Idol and concert promotions. He would be in the glamour world that he apparently seeks.

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