Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Forgotten in the wake of Gareth Bale’s possible transfer to Real Madrid was Cristiano Ronaldo’s potential departure from the La Liga powerhouse. Manchester United reportedly offered Real £80 million for Ronaldo, whose expiring contract is being restructured by the management at Madrid right now. Ronaldo showed some frustration at a press conference on Sunday when he said that “the situation (regarding his contract) still hasn’t been resolved.” However, after this comment began to fuel rumors that he was going the leave Spain, Real manager Carlo Ancelotti responded to the press, saying that he was fairly confident about agreeing on a new contract for Ronaldo. ”The player wants to renew his contract and the club want him to renew it too, so I don’t think it’s going to be a problem,” Ancelotti told Spanish newspaper AS. ”I think Cristiano and the club are relaxed about the issue. I don’t know when it will happen, but I am certain that Cristiano is going to renew his contract with Madrid.”
According to the Daily Mail, Ronaldo’s new contract may end up paying him £900,000 more than FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, so Ronaldo would end up being the highest-paid player in Spain. If this sort of contract isn’t motivation to stay with Real, then I don’t know what is.
We don’t really know how Ronaldo feels about Bale joining the club, whether or not Cristiano would welcome the Welshman with open arms. Bale’s exit to Madrid seems likely at this point, given the fact that the final decision of selling a player doesn’t fall into Tottenham Hotspur manager Andres Villas-Boas’ duties. Ronaldo would be playing a more central position with Bale in town, since the 24-year-old Hotspur is accustomed to playing on the left wing. The two players would be dangerous together, as they boast a similar style of play with blazing speed, fantastic dribbling and a knack for crushing long shots and set-pieces. With Bale and Ronaldo, Real would definitely be able to compete with Barcelona and Bayern Munich for the Champions League title.
