Real Smashes Days-Old Transfer Record With £80 Million Bid For Ronaldo

It’s official… The team who shall not be named have accepted an £80 million bid for the Portugese whinger winger Cristiano Ronaldo. The bid arrived just days after Real spent a then-record £56 million on the Brazilian midfielder Kaká, topping the £47 million they spent on Zinedine Zidane back in 2001; the relative value of the Euro during each deal made Kaka’s transfer either the highest or second highest fee ever. But that’s all water under the bridge now that Real have bought Ronaldo for €93.6 million/ £80 million. That doesn’t even count Ronaldo’s salary, which will certainly exceed £120,000 per week when all is said and done.

While I am happy to see Ronaldo go, I have to say that the ability of a team to spend £136 million in one week proves once again that the transfer model is broken. While super clubs like Real Madrid spend money hand over fist, smaller clubs struggle to meet payments and go deeper into debt. Leave it to Europe to create an aristocracy in sport. I love the game, but it is now officially out of control to the point where supporters are hoping that billionaire oil sheiks will buy their clubs and bankroll a few high-profile transfers. I am not sure which model should replace the transfer model, but it is not the draft/free agency/trade/salary cap system that dominates American sports; our system has its own big problems that wouldn’t work for European football (and a college sports industry that does not exist on the continent). Either way, something has to give soon, as the current model of spending and revenue creation is clearly unsustainable but for the wealthy few.

But this post is not meant to be an expression of my palpable disgust at the transfer market. Rather, it’s time to celebrate! Ronaldo is leaving the English game, and while there are few great stories without great villains, still, I couldn’t be happier…

Here for your viewing “pleasure” is a compilation of Ronaldo’s classic cheating and diving. He is an electric player who sullies his own reputation through his unprofessional and unethical approach to the game. His “win-at-any-cost”, pampered mentality can enjoy itself in Spain, where I expect a foul will be called every time he touches the ball. Good riddance.

twhalliii posted to Sport on June 11, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

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