Here we go again, with a drill that you all know very well.
Cristiano Ronaldo becomes angry with his situation in Madrid, praises Manchester as his home, sends United fans into a frenzy of anticipation, and then ends up staying put. The Real Madrid superstar, who plied his trade at Old Trafford from 2003-2009, was quoted in Spanish publication Cadena Sar longing for a return to England.
Ronaldo also makes favorable comments about Manchester in the newspaper report, which of course put United fans on alert- with skepticism.
Ronaldo had a court date in Spain this past Monday over charges of tax evasion. Prosecutors allege that Ronaldo evaded €14.7 million (£13.1m) in tax payments, while the Portugese has consistently maintained his complete innocence throughout this process. CR7 spoke out of frustration and anger with this legal case, telling Cadena Sar:
“I never had this problem in England, that’s why I’d like to go back.”
“I remember when I arrived in England and they told me that that’s how things worked. I went to Manchester as an 18-year-old and they advised me this was the best system I could use, just like the other players did. In Spain they told me I’d have to pay more but that there’d be no problems. I’ve always paid what I’ve had to pay.”
Again this just seems like it’s Ronaldo simply venting his discontent with what he perceives as injustice inflicted against him. It doesn’t feel like a return to United is going to happen any time soon.
Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane was asked late Wednesday night in Chicago about Ronaldo and his situation, and the Frenchman said his galactico would rejoin the team August 5. Zidane made similar remarks the day before in a previous press conference ahead of the MLS All-Star Game.
Earlier this summer, United Manager Jose Mourinho deemed any potential Ronaldo re-acquisition as “mission impossible.” In the early portion of this offseason/slow season, CR7 dominated headlines as talk of a transfer to United, and also Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea owned the news cycle.
It all turned out to be one giant nothing burger.
There’s no reason to believe this time should be any different.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV.
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