Weekly wages are only a small component of CR7′s income – he’s on every billboard in Lisbon and his “image rights” are going to skyrocket.

Those who are listening have heard the rumblings about the new line of CR7 clothing and accessories from Nike – this is going to be the crux of negotiations if the money bandied about is anything close to reality. We can get an insight into this new financial reality by asking a simple question: How much do Nike pay Tiger Woods (and Michael Jordan before him) ? My sense is that behind the scenes there are on-going negotiations for some sort of package deal in which his wages might be “kept in line” but he will be compensated lavishly by the UTD/Nike consortium.

Like Beckham before him, Ronaldo’s appeal is much wider than just the UTD hard-core. The kid is on his way to being “the face of football”. That alone makes him quite unlike, say, Rio or Rooney or any other player on UTD’s books. But, of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that his wages have to be double or triple what Rio or Rooney are paid. What it does mean is that his wages AND image rights have to reflect this difference in quality.

The difference with Chelsea is that the RentBoyz don’t have a player with the charisma and magnetism and international appeal of CR7. How charismatic is John Terry ? How magnetic is Frank Lampard’s “personality” ? How appealing is Michael Ballack to an international audience ? In contrast, Ronaldo has it all – he is the complete package.

He’s also a cagey,clever interview – but that’s another subject.

Seriously, a dick joke? Are you ten years old?

So when you say “highest-paid player in blah blah blah” and “Lampard / Terry compared to Shevchenko and Ballack”, there’s a problem.

As I said, it’s just a tiny one.

These figures are made up by a journalist slightly brighter than you, and you’ve copied them from his newspaper.

Not to worry, though. I’ve no doubt you’ve had tiny problems for much of your adult life. I hear your girlfriend’s the understanding sort, though.