With more rumours than a girls school playground surrounding Ronaldo's possible departure, on 11 June 2009 Real Madrid CF agreed to pay Manchester United a world record $163 million fee for the Paris Hilton kissing hair gel industry sustaining global football star. Yesterday, Real Madrid CF put the finishing touches to the personal terms of Ronaldo's transfer and he is now officially a part of the Real Madrid CF Galacticos revolution. It is reported that he will earn about $23 million per year for the next six years! that equates to about $442,307 per week! Amazingly, that is just his base wage and doesn't include payments for image rights or shirt sales.
So how will Ronaldo's move effect all interested parties?
The English Premier League has lost one of its stars, and it may well effect its marketability in the short term, but with the mega brands that are the 'top four' clubs, the league will surely find another star to re-brand the league into all parts of the world. In contrast, La Liga is growing from strength to strength behind quality players plying their trade in the league (boosted enormously by Kaka and Ronaldo's move), a strong national team (excluding the recent USA loss), and better tax rates than those in England.
Manchester United are now minus their biggest and most influential star. Ronaldo could turn a game in a second. You only need to ask a string opposition goalkeepers, namely Arsenal's Almunia and FC Porto's Helton, who thought there was no danger with Ronaldo on the ball 40 yards from goal. However, Manchester United now have a substantial transfer kitty and it will be interesting to see who they put in the red number 7.
Real Madrid CF have obviously gained a megastar both on and off the field. They are in the midst of a Galacticos revolution having already spent at least $300 million on players during the past month, and with another 2 months before the start of the season, the bank manager must be reaching for the valium at the thought of the possible future spending. There is no doubt, however, that Real Madrid CF will be a serious threat in all competitions.
Many English Premier League supporters may argue that Ronaldo's departure is a good thing with the amount of complaining he did each game, not to mention diving more than Greg Louganis. This behaviour is more acceptable in La Liga, so Ronaldo should fit right in.
Finally, with Spain, like everyone, being hit by the global financial crisis, many Spaniards are questioning the rationale of Real Madrid CF's spending. It will similarly be interesting see how Ronaldo integrates into a team where he will be earning in some cases three or four times the amount of his team mates. All will be forgotten however, if the Los Merengues have a successful season. Only time and silverware will tell.
