As a fan of Manchester United, I have loved and hated Cristiano Ronaldo, the player who has become the most expensive footballer of all time. He had a great career at United, being one of the most successful players to wear a red shirt, but now, it is clear that there will always be blemishes on his time at OId Trafford.
At the start of his United career, signing from Sporting Lisbon for around £12 million, he looked extremely talented and showed massive promise. Eventually, he exceeded all expectations and developed into an outstanding all round player. Ronaldo struggled early on due to his inexperience, and opposition crowds struggled to respect a player who continuously dived. Many players dive but he was one of, if not, the worst in the Premier League and his reputation was growing in the wrong direction with fans and referees.
Gradually, he grew ever more confident (and/or cockier) and developed parts of his game which he hadn’t previously displayed, like strength on the ball and aerial ability. He seemed to dive less, I know a lot of people will disagree with this statement, but in comparison to his earlier antics, he cleaned up his over reliance on simulation. His reputation as an arrogant player and person was well established amongst opposition fans, and this led to me having to defend him often. The main incident that comes to mind is the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where Rooney was sent off for a stamp on Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho. here were shots of Ronaldo pleading with the referee to send off his club teammate, and after Rooney was given his marching orders, a camera cut to Ronaldo who seemed to be winking to his bench. A lot of people thought that he was suggesting ‘I made that happen’, but if you watch the action properly, you can quite clearly see Rooney stamping on the defender and any referee, well maybe with the exception of Graham Poll, would give that a straight red card. The ‘wink’, and Ronaldo’s talk to the referee, were irrelevant.
After all this, speculation indicated that Real Madrid were coming to test United’s resolve, with rumours that they were going to bid 50m for the young winger. Instead, he denied wanting to leave United and signed a new contract which made him the highest paid player in the team’s history. With this behind him, Ronaldo probably had the best season of his career. He scored 42 goals, whilst helping United to secure the Premier League and Champions League double. That season earned him a spot as one of the best players in the world, alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Kaká. At this stage, I still loved this man, and believed that he was the driving force that United needed.
Once this season was over, the speculation started again, and my likening for Ronaldo started to decrease. Reports from Sky Sports were suggesting that Ronaldo had expressed an interest in moving to Real Madrid. United filed a complaint to FIFA over the illegal pursuit of Ronaldo, but nothing was done. Ronaldo stated that he would stay for another season and that he was committed to United.
Some say that I should stop complaining about Ronaldo, as he was still our top goal scorer once again this season. I recognise this, but it was the way he was going about it. When he was coming back from an injury at the beginning of last season, he didn’t look like he wanted to play and sulked more than before. Being at Manchester United should be an honour as we are one of the biggest teams and in my opinion (obviously biased) are the best team there is. Ronaldo loves to win trophies and awards for himself, so why not keep winning these things at United. Take Wayne Rooney for example, I believe that Rooney will want to stay the distance at United. This is the sort of loyalty that Ronaldo did not and will not show.
Reports prior to the Champions League final, were suggesting that Ronaldo was already telling the players that he was leaving in the summer. The timing was awful; an awareness that they would be losing their best player in the summer must have affected the confidence of the other players. Not to discredit Barcelona, who totally outplayed United, but I believe these rumours affected them in the final. What made things worse was another report indicating that Ronaldo made a deal with Real Madrid last season, telling them that he would wait one year before coming out and expressing his desire to leave United. This sort of dealing is totally illegal and is essentially worse than tapping up.
Now Ronaldo has signed for Real Madrid, at a cost of £80million, and United have done a great bit of business, making a £68million profit. I now have a substantially decreased liking for Ronaldo, and it has grown from the increasing show of selfishness that occurred over the course of this season. He was a great player for United and I will admit I loved him, but now I couldn’t care less about him. I can now see what other people saw in him when I had my biased view.
I would put some money on United meeting Real Madrid in the Champions League at some point, either in the group stages or in the early rounds. It will be interesting to see how Ronaldo will be greeted at Old Trafford if this scenario occurs.
Robbie Morrison
Showing posts with label Real Madrid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Real Madrid. Show all posts
Sunday, 26 July 2009
Friday, 17 July 2009
Points on the Sale of Xabi Alonso
As a Liverpool fan, it would be churlish of me to ignore the ongoing story of Xabi Alonso’s future at the club. Real Madrid’s spending spree has been incredible since the transfer widow opened and with oligarchic amounts of money having been spent on some of the world’s top attacking talent, and their sights are now set on a central midfielder. Alonso would be a perfect acquisition for them in this second Galactico era. A deep lying playmaker, capable of setting up attacks for the likes of Ronaldo and Kaka to finish off, and as such, could be the final ingredient in their Champions League push.
Last year, Alonso was clearly upset when Benitez touted his services to Europe’s top clubs in order to raise the cash to sign Gareth Barry. Alonso managed to put the affair behind him, having one of his best campaigns in a red shirt. But a repeat scenario emerged this year and it now looks as though Alonso has decided that his future lies away from Anfield. The new stadium project and the financial problems of the American co-owners have left Benitez with limited funds, and consequently a sell-to-buy approach is required, and after the £17 million signing of Glen Johnson, it is likely to be instituted. A bid in the region of £35 million is what Benitez is rumoured to be holding out for. If Madrid were to offer this figure, then Alonso, despite Benitez’s public statements insisting that no first team regulars are for sale, would in all likelihood leave Anfield.
In his time at Liverpool, Alonso has provided the passing finesse in a hard-working midfield. But could his departure be beneficial? The £35 million would be put to good use but it is not enough money to make a marquee signing of David Villa proportions. Some of it would have to be spent on a replacement in the middle; Lee Cattermole and Roma’s Alberto Aquilani have been suggested at around £6 million and £15 million respectively. In other areas of the pitch, Valencia’s David Silva and Ashley Young also appear to be realistic targets for the money that the sale of Alonso would create. Anything leftover would have to be spent on squad building, as there is a well-documented lack of quality cover, with the midfield and attack being particular areas for concern. If no central midfielders are signed, Lucas will have to make a big improvement. Towards the end of last season he looked to be improving, and for me, some of the fans’ criticism is unjustified when we consider Lucas as a player who is capable of filling the role of a squad player.
Would it be worthwhile for Liverpool to trade Alonso’s skill for a better all round squad? A midfield reshuffle could give Liverpool more options against the teams that caused them their well-documented problems last term. Against teams who make up what they lack in funds and with technically ability, with tenacity and teamwork, Liverpool often lacked the cutting edge. Alonso was Rafa’s key man in a five-man midfield, the playmaker, providing Gerrard and Torres with the sort of passes they needed to create chances. The biggest problem here was that the reliance upon Alonso made Liverpool play narrow, making it easier for defences to cope. If Liverpool were to play a 4-4-2, and the rumours regarding the signing of Silva and Young would seem to support this view, Steven Gerrard could either be deployed in central midfield or as a second striker, allowing other attacking players such as Kuyt, Benayoun and Riera more opportunities in the wide areas.
The problem here would be that against the rest of the top four, where Liverpool, and Alonso played fantastically last year, the defence could be exposed without two holding midfield players. Against attacking opposition, Benitez’s preferred a 4-5-1 formation, which offered balance between attack and defence, but against less ambitious play it didn’t offer enough going forward, especially if Gerrard or Torres were not selected. Despite remaining unbeaten at home, the seven home draws recorded last season were not good enough, with Arsenal, Everton, Man City, West Ham, Hull, Stoke and Fulham all earning a point at Anfield. Whilst the Arsenal and Everton matches were even games, Liverpool weren’t positive enough against the others. Manchester United’s home record of two home draws and one loss was a far better achievement, and it was attained with an attacking philosophy. All season long United seemed to be able to find what they needed to win at home, meanwhile at Anfield, opponents seemed to have enough to hang on. Benitez’s cautious approach is nothing to do with Alonso but his absence from the team could force Liverpool into a more adventurous style of play. On the other hand, without Alonso, Liverpool’s 4-4-2 could prove to be ineffective away from home.
It would be a shame to see Alonso go, but if the price was acceptable then his sale could allow Liverpool to take a forward step. However, any successes without Alonso would be dependent upon the signings made with the funds his transfer would create and the implementation of a more positive philosophy.
Last year, Alonso was clearly upset when Benitez touted his services to Europe’s top clubs in order to raise the cash to sign Gareth Barry. Alonso managed to put the affair behind him, having one of his best campaigns in a red shirt. But a repeat scenario emerged this year and it now looks as though Alonso has decided that his future lies away from Anfield. The new stadium project and the financial problems of the American co-owners have left Benitez with limited funds, and consequently a sell-to-buy approach is required, and after the £17 million signing of Glen Johnson, it is likely to be instituted. A bid in the region of £35 million is what Benitez is rumoured to be holding out for. If Madrid were to offer this figure, then Alonso, despite Benitez’s public statements insisting that no first team regulars are for sale, would in all likelihood leave Anfield.
In his time at Liverpool, Alonso has provided the passing finesse in a hard-working midfield. But could his departure be beneficial? The £35 million would be put to good use but it is not enough money to make a marquee signing of David Villa proportions. Some of it would have to be spent on a replacement in the middle; Lee Cattermole and Roma’s Alberto Aquilani have been suggested at around £6 million and £15 million respectively. In other areas of the pitch, Valencia’s David Silva and Ashley Young also appear to be realistic targets for the money that the sale of Alonso would create. Anything leftover would have to be spent on squad building, as there is a well-documented lack of quality cover, with the midfield and attack being particular areas for concern. If no central midfielders are signed, Lucas will have to make a big improvement. Towards the end of last season he looked to be improving, and for me, some of the fans’ criticism is unjustified when we consider Lucas as a player who is capable of filling the role of a squad player.
Would it be worthwhile for Liverpool to trade Alonso’s skill for a better all round squad? A midfield reshuffle could give Liverpool more options against the teams that caused them their well-documented problems last term. Against teams who make up what they lack in funds and with technically ability, with tenacity and teamwork, Liverpool often lacked the cutting edge. Alonso was Rafa’s key man in a five-man midfield, the playmaker, providing Gerrard and Torres with the sort of passes they needed to create chances. The biggest problem here was that the reliance upon Alonso made Liverpool play narrow, making it easier for defences to cope. If Liverpool were to play a 4-4-2, and the rumours regarding the signing of Silva and Young would seem to support this view, Steven Gerrard could either be deployed in central midfield or as a second striker, allowing other attacking players such as Kuyt, Benayoun and Riera more opportunities in the wide areas.
The problem here would be that against the rest of the top four, where Liverpool, and Alonso played fantastically last year, the defence could be exposed without two holding midfield players. Against attacking opposition, Benitez’s preferred a 4-5-1 formation, which offered balance between attack and defence, but against less ambitious play it didn’t offer enough going forward, especially if Gerrard or Torres were not selected. Despite remaining unbeaten at home, the seven home draws recorded last season were not good enough, with Arsenal, Everton, Man City, West Ham, Hull, Stoke and Fulham all earning a point at Anfield. Whilst the Arsenal and Everton matches were even games, Liverpool weren’t positive enough against the others. Manchester United’s home record of two home draws and one loss was a far better achievement, and it was attained with an attacking philosophy. All season long United seemed to be able to find what they needed to win at home, meanwhile at Anfield, opponents seemed to have enough to hang on. Benitez’s cautious approach is nothing to do with Alonso but his absence from the team could force Liverpool into a more adventurous style of play. On the other hand, without Alonso, Liverpool’s 4-4-2 could prove to be ineffective away from home.
It would be a shame to see Alonso go, but if the price was acceptable then his sale could allow Liverpool to take a forward step. However, any successes without Alonso would be dependent upon the signings made with the funds his transfer would create and the implementation of a more positive philosophy.
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