Reports over the weekend claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo was about to be offered a deal worth £200,000 to keep his eye on United and away from Real Madrid. Of course, it’s just crappy tabloid stuff, but often there is no smoke without fire.
Whilst there’s no denying what a talented player he is and what a positive effect he has on our results, to see any of our players bringing in close to £1 million a month is absolutely crazy. At present, Robinho is the best paid player in this league, needing £160,000 a week to convince him to join the bitters at Wastelands. Chelsea captain, John Terry, brings in £135,000 a week, whilst his team mate, and Chelsea’s most effective player, earns around £150,000 a week. Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard, earns £120,000 a week, £5,000 more a week than our next highest player after Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney.
So why the fuck should Ronaldo be given £200,000 a week?
The reasoning behind it is simple. United want to convince Ronaldo in any way possible to shun a move to Real Madrid, who of course will come in for him again this summer. Whilst they were will be able to offer him more than this reported sum, United are banking on the idea that staying in a place that he has made his home over the past six years, as well as the great potential to win more trophies, will be enough to bridge the difference in salary.
Firstly, I think United would be kidding themselves to think this increased wage would be enough to keep Ronaldo away from Real Madrid, even if in the short term. Whilst earning so much more than anyone else at the club would obviously flatter his ego, essentially, he wants to go to Spain and he always has done. It’d ridiculous to think that more money from United (which would still be less than he’d earn with Real) would sway his decision.
Secondly, the effect it would have on the rest of the squad would be totally detrimental. Why should Rooney, for example, earn £340,000 less a month than Ronaldo? What does this say to Rooney about how we value him? Yeh, you’re important to us Wayne, but nowhere near as important to us as Ronaldo.
When Ronaldo is having a bad month, or a bad couple of months, what effect is that going to have on the in-form players in the dressing room, who earn less than a quarter of what he does?
Essentially, if a player needs to be persuaded to stay at United by ridiculous amounts of money, then it’s time they left. There doesn’t need to be anger or resentment about it. We can thank Ronaldo for the great years he’s given up, for the success he’s helped us achieve, and wish him well in the future. No more ‘God only knows’ bullshit. If he wants to stay, then he should stay. If he wants to leave, then he should leave. His current contract doesn’t expire until 2012, so all the cards are in our hands. But don’t bloody offer him £200,000 a week!
Man Utd News 24/7
I think the big issue now is that under new Fifa regulations, Ronaldo will be able to buy himself out of his current contract next season. The 200 k is stupid money (the rest of the world is taking pay cuts so why shouldn’t they) but I read 20% of that is due to image rights…
Personally I think 120k a week is too much money…. hence the mercenary attitude in football today….
Robinho can’t honestly look someone in the eye and say he went to City for anything other than money…. Or perhaps he loves the idea of fighting relegation…
*whispers* don’t believe everything you read in the papers Scott, especially the NOTW
Re-read their last Ronaldo contract story from their archives and its the same but just changed figures
You are right Scott.While Rooney may not be as talented as Ronaldo there should never be such a gap in their wages.Say we give him the contract.What happens in 2 years when once again he decides that he is worth more or else he is off to Madrid?Ronaldo-gate all over again?
and btw lets just say I have inside information that Ronaldo has given a verbal agreement to sign a new contract but 200k is wide off the mark
He currently earns less than JT and Fat Frank, so he’s entitle to feel a bit miffed. Parity with the likes of Kaka and Ronaldinho wouldn’t be unreasonable.
Contracts mean absolutly nothing in football, except to the players salary, not to how long they will stay for.
Look what the nOTW wrote in November
http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/sport/58933/RONALDOS-THE-MAN.html
they keep changing their stories and people keep believing them. LOL!
Try 70k less than 200k and that will be Ronaldo’s new wage
You heard it here first
At least Mudrid would then have to offer him £250k next summer which would naff off their other “superstars” and they’d have no money left to buy anyone else.
One might argue its silly to pay footballers that much, but if the club can afford it why not? Making regulations for the wages (like in NFL and such) would just lead to even richer clubs – and more foreign club owners because of it. Of course you could also argue that such limitations would prevent clubs like Shitty and Chelski from buying success in the way they are (or trying to in Shitty’s case).
Of course Id be rather sad if Ronaldo actually was given a 200k per week offer – but only because of the big gap that’d be to other big players on the team.
Let him go, get Ribery. And while we’re at it, swap tevez for Benzema. Then we’d be totally unstoppable. It’s not a fantasy. Swapping Nani for Messi is a fantasy.
its a fantasy bruce
gotta love all these people moaning about madrid yet wanting benzema
“gotta love all these people moaning about madrid yet wanting benzema” Spot on.
As regards Ronaldo I am sick of taliking about the cunt but agree with Scott. If he wants to stay stay and if not do one.
The simple fact we’re talking about this is moot. if the club want to offer it him, they’ll offer it him. Is he worth it? No, no footballer is. But isnt Ibrahimovic apparently on a similair wage? If so, then Ronaldo deserves it. he’s our best player and as such should be our highest earner. Of course Real will come knocking again next year, and the year after that, and the year after that, until they eventually get him. But while he’s here lets respect him, treasure him, and remember that it’s still us he’s playing for, not Madrid. If and when he himself decides he wants to leave (2010 would be my guess) then let United get the most money we can for him, and replace him. Until then, lets remember that he’s a fucking brilliant footballer, and he’s on our side.
I totally agree with Scott here. 100%
i think this is a way of united bumpin up his price. Don’t think its any coincidence that ribery’s agent has come out in press sayin that we’ve been in touch. Reckon we should sell and get ribery and aguero (to replace tevez when he goes). Untill ronaldo does go tho,lets support him coz in the end,we all want him to have won everythin come the end of the season
RE:Stretford
I doubt we have been in touch
its just Ribery’s agents ways of trying to encourage bids for him
agents do this all the time
I think Ronaldo is not as much of a prick as we all think…yes he can be petulant on the pitch and he’s quite ‘philosophical’ when it comes to discussing what he will be doing for the rest of his football career but I don’t think he’s a complete twat. He’s from Portugal and may want to go nearer to home in the future but he seems to get on with everyone at United really well and is quite funny and intelligent, despite outbursts on the pitch etc.. I play football with a lad who I call Ronaldo because of his attitude sometimes on the pitch but everyone just laughs about it after the game and we obviously don’t spend anywhere near as much time with each other as the United players do.. They all seem quite humorous, led by Ferdinand and so I don’t think anything that we might think (via the media) is an issue actually becomes an isuue at United.That goes for these ‘contract talks’ too, working yourself up into a frenzy Scott over this doesn’t do you any favours or any of the people that come on here to read about United…Ronaldo seems as happy as he has ever been at United and the ‘God only knows’ is something we’ll just have to accept from someone that is probably a bit too honest in aknowledging that come 27/28 he may want to try something new, who wouldn’t?
No — I meant Ben Zema the Turkish youth player
200k a week is just ridiculous when the closest to that is just 115.. 200k is not totally out of the world, but if the gap between him and the others are that big, than it’s ridiculous.
Anyway i love that Valencia story.. maybe MU is just trying to raise Valencia’s price so that then Real dont have the money for Ronaldo anymore?
I also agree with others on Ribery. I even think Ribery will be better for us than Ronaldo because his attitude is fantastic.
the headline by Scott says it all.Its just ridiculous amount of money in d times of recession.Ron had d best match of his season so far at Inter.He has been sumtimes casual in his play in some of d matches this season.Its time he needs a gud rest & gets a move on for d remainder of d season
I didn’t think you’d write an article about Ronaldo based on a ‘story’ from the NOTW.
We know they write a load of shite week in, week out so using it against the boy is unfair.
It is typical United, why did we pay £18m for Carrick, £17m for Nani, £18m for Anderson, £28m for Veron, £30m for Rio especially when the last two clubs were up shitty creeky.
I am not saying they were bad signings or won’t be great in the future but we simply cannot negotiate a deal, we pay what people want, with fees and now wages.
Chaps, it’s the price of doing business.
Ronaldo is quite clearly “the best player in the world” even if he is not the most valuable player in terms of team effort/cohesion. Never mind what Rooney feels about getting less than CR, how about Nemaja Vidic ? The big Serb gets around a quarter of what Ronaldo would be receiving.
But, that’s not the point. The point is that these guys know that once the ink is dried on the contract they have to live with one another so that what we might consider to be a “jealousy wedge” doesn’t exist for them – or, if it does, then they go elsewhere.
For a huge, international conglomerate like UTD, paying their most “attractive asset” a huge salary is the price of doing business, pure and simple. Indeed, I am rather surprised at the amount mooted – it seems low to me !
And, don’t forget, if the demanded-wage is too much for UTD’s bean counters then they could just as easily cash in on their “most attractive asset” by flogging him to the fascists, with a stiplulation that in addition to a huge wad of cash and Iker Casillas, UTD would receive 50% of the revenue generated by Ronaldo-related items for the next 3-5 years. Don’t forget, RM boasted that they recouped the cost of the Beckham transfer in a shirt sales alone.
Selling Ronaldo might make some sort of financial sense but it would weaken the attraction of “the brand”. So, be thankful that SAF seems to be in charge because he doesn’t give a fiddler’s fuck about “the brand”; the old codger is a footie knight and is driven by results. His team – this year’s grind-it-out group – might not suffer from losing its most talented offensive player but the great joy of watching this kid glide across the pitch in his red #7 jersey would be lost. Sure, Franck Ribery is a very, very good player but – let’s be honest about this – he’s no Ronaldo. And, of course, Franck Ribery is not as good looking as CR7 – but, then, who is ?
denton davey
ribery is a fantastic winger, we should have signed him instead of nani in 2007. look at his value to bayern just because he did not score 40 goals in one season does not mean he is not that good. he is like pires he gets you about 20 goals a season.
why cant people forgive him he made a mistake he thought the grass was greener now he knows better why would he go 2 a side that the dippers can beat with a shit team. He also has plenty of friends there now with the Brazilians and the Portuguese so long may he stay stop hating him be united in our love for our players for fuck sake we’re not arsenal
micheal.
I can guarantee Nani would look pretty amazing in the Bundesliga. It is nowhere near the same level as the premiership.. Ronaldo is 6 foot 3 and built like a tank. Sure he goes down a lot but the Premiership is a lot more physical. Rule of thumb – skillful players are targets. A player like Ribery (no doubting he is good) flourishes in german football because you aren’t allowed to tackle people. I doubt Ribery would be as good in England. Look at Ballack….. he is no-where near his Bayern best since he went to the Rent Boys….
I know Scott is against it, but I really really really wish our fans would start singing his Viva Ronaldo chant with the same gusto as last year. I don’t want to do it to stroke his ego or diminish the contribution of the other lads, but I want it to happen so Ronaldo scores more and wins us games!! So lets big him up, sing his song from the rafters, make him happy and hope that he goes on an unstopable run here to bring home a few more of them shiny things.
yeah good point there dave0b82 on Ribery and bundesliga, that can only be answered when he eventually plays in PL. But i think he’s attitude towards the game is fantastic, i like his style of play where he tries to bring the team along with him. Your point, dave, reminds of Ludovic Giuly, the french winger bought by Barcelona after he stars in French League.
Yeah I dont know, well, if SAF says 200k is ok for Ronnie even when others get much lesser than him, than it’s fine to me. In Fergie we trust.
But still, it will start something new. Opens up a new scene where 200k is realistic. And to start this, where else if not at MU? We are the biggest club in the world!
I agree 100% Scott.
You can’t buy loyalty!
Sell the sneak and buy a good player with some sense of decency and gratitude.
Well Johnpanda if you know of a young player especially a foreign with these attributes please enlighten us. You said it yourself you cant buy loyalty ha didnt come through ranks he grew up dreaming of RM. he now knows better give him a break
We’re essentially past the time where we can recognise the modern foreign footballer as anything but a mercenary looking to make the most money they possibly can. Ronaldo has been at United for 6 years but he was born a thousand miles from Old Trafford and its not that much of an upheaval for him to jet off back to Iberia.
Six years and still going strong i know city wont hold on to their wanker 4 hire lets see how long Torres stays a bin raider
Ronaldo supports the money-the fact that he cheers when he scores is an after thought. However, he should be making at least what Kevin Spacey…ur…I mean john terry makes. I think the boy deserves more money, but not 200,000. I really think he is just trying to renegotiate his current contract to somewhere near 150,000. How much is he making now ?
I read £160k a week plus £40k image rights.
Would have to agree with Jake’s and denton davey’s responses.
DanS: I read £160k a week plus £40k image rights.
I think that “only” 40K a week – that’s about a million for the whole year – seems very low considering to what extent Cristiano Ronaldo is being used to be “the face” of UTD in advertising and commercial activities.
denton davey
ribery is a reguler for france nani is not for portugal, unlike nani ribery is a rampaging wide man and his levels never drops, plus he works really hard like rooney and tevez. if ronaldo signs a new contract he will be on I say 150k a week, 200k is just media rubbish. nani always makes stupid decisions while ribery is taking bayern and europe by storm, can you have imagined ronaldo rooney tevez ribery has your front four with carrick anderson scholes and giggs making the craft in midfield.
Fair play to seanmc -’why cant people forgive him he made a mistake he thought the grass was greener now he knows better why would he go 2 a side that the dippers can beat with a shit team. He also has plenty of friends there now with the Brazilians and the Portuguese so long may he stay stop hating him be united in our love for our players for fuck sake we’re not arsenal’
Ronnie’s going nowhere as he knows Madrid are in turmoil with the presidency elections etc. They are not the footballing team CR7 thought they were and he knows it better than most.
On a positive it is great to hear the Viva Ronaldo chant making a come back – if we give him our full support then he will repay us with startling performances which equal more trophies. He made a mistake and he’s trying to make amends – it’s time we get behind him to show him that we although may not forget his actions, we ARE able to forgive.
Eventually he’ll end up in Spain and I for one don’t begrudge him that.
I accept the arugement that Ribery’s agent could be looking for offers but i think that the main reason why Ronaldo didn’t go last summer is because there was no plan for after his departure. Think that Ribery would defo be good enuf to replace him and reckon that now SAF will have been seriously looking at options since all this shit last summer, should the money be right (would anybody turn down 100m+?). These rumours of a massive contract could be a way of making sure that the money is indeed right. Wouldn’t be the first time that the press was played to make sure we got what we want.
Still, let’s hope he sees the light United>Real
Scott the Red is on target…..if he wants to leave sell him to Real for 90 million or more…..no way is he worth the turmoil to the TEAM!
yeah but it would cost 25 million to get a half arse replacement in ribery plus 100,000 in wages..so its a saving isnt it??
Micheal, I understand that Franck Ribery is an excellent player – not just for Bayern but for France, too.
BUT he’s no Cristiano Ronaldo – and no one else is that good, either. Calling Ribery a “half arse replacement” is just plain silly, however.
Since the kerfuffle this summer, I’ve consistently written on this blog that Ronaldo will NOT leave UTD as long as SAF stays in control. It would seem that the endless chaos at the Bernabeu makes it a much less desirable destination than it was a few years ago. In reading all these media reports during the summer, you had to separate the agents’ messing around for another ten per cent, the lies that RM filter through AS and Marca, and the actual statements that Ronaldo made. He was circumspect – “only God knows the future” – and while he might have hoped to move to Madrid the really interesting point is that if he did, he did so under his breath. Was that because he’s afraid of SAF or because he was never quite sure of RM’s motives – “God only knows”.
For me, the key to Ronaldo’s destination was always going to be connected to the Nike/image rights bonus that he would collect at UTD. As someone else wrote, it’s all about “show me the money !” That’s why I’m not surprised that the supposed new deal contains an additional 25% for image rights – what does surprise me is that that amount is so small considering the vast revenues that Ronaldo must be generating for UTD in its worldwide marketing activities.
Doesn’t Ronaldo realise that he is in the perfect place right now???
England is the perfect place for a footballer to be.
I’ve heard that United are interested in Ribery and that should Cristiano leave, he is the next one in line.
Yeah, the 200 000 is ridiculous, but seriously, Ronaldo needs some sense knocked into his head. He is great at United.
La Liga have a totally different style tactically. And those Real Madrid players won’t give him a chance, since they’re all trying to steal the limelight themselves. If he should leave, and if Spain isn’t what it turns out to be for him, theres no turning back. Real will Never let him go.
As we saw last week, RM are a crappy team. Signing CR will not make them any better. They’d be better off spending £80million on 4 players rather than on one. Fergie knows this. CR at RM getting over £200,000 a week limits their ability to pay big money to any other player. CR at RM consigns them to mediocrity by restricting their ability to buy other players. However UTD minus CR but plus Ribery will not adversely affect UTD’s ability to knock ‘Pool off their perch next season.
BrisbaneRed, the ‘Pool’ got knocked off their perch a long time ago…