All summer the speculation about Cristiano Ronaldo returning to Manchester United has rumbled on, but neither United nor the player himself have openly said there is any foundation to the rumours.
At the same time, United have been linked with half the footballing world and have on quite a few occasions actually admitted the fact that they covet players, something we have never seen before.
The silence in my opinion speaks volumes.
Cristiano Ronaldo has openly admitted that he misses United and there is no secret that he has found life at Real Madrid not as “supportive” as it was at United.
United would obviously welcome Cristiano Ronaldo back with open arms, not only because of his imperious talent, but because he is a marketing department’s dream. So the only barrier seems to be Real Madrid, who obviously can’t afford to lose their talisman. Enter Stage right Gareth Bale, the new £80m Golden boy of football, drenched in Ronaldo’esque talent and a new world star.
The reality is United aren’t going to throw £80m at getting Ronaldo back and Real aren’t going to sell their marketing masterpiece, but 12 months from now Ronaldo has 12 months left to run on his contract and he’s worth £20-30m. Then if he still continues to stall on a new contract Real will be looking for suitors, plus Mr Bale may well be Real’s new golden boy.
Don’t bet on United capturing Cristiano Ronaldo this season, but consider the odds for him joining them next year and if you find yourself with a healthier bank balance – raise a glass to this article !