The Story Behind The Cristiano Ronaldo Soap Opera

The Cristiano Ronaldo saga has been going on for who knows how long. In fact, it has become a real football soap opera, and a lot of people are divided in their opinion over who is the victim and who is the culprit in this sad but intriguing saga. The fact that it concerns probably the best footballer on the planet has led to people everywhere voicing their opinion and taking sides from heavyweights such as Sepp Blatter to the fans in local suburban parks. However, in all this analysis, a lot of facts are either missing or twisted to suit different purposes and agendas. I've decided to set the issue straight in this article.

First Fact. Ronaldo committed to playing at Manchester United by signing a 5 year contract in the spring of 2007. In fact, by signing the contract he became the club's highest ever paid player. But what does this mean? It means that the club held Ronaldo and his talent is such high esteem that they made him central to United's future plans to win trophies, and as a result he was offered a higher salary. This also effectively means that a breaking of the contract would disadvantage the club and its plans rather than Ronaldo. The club will be the loser in such a sorry situation while the criminal will be Ronaldo himself.

FACT 2. United owns the rights to Ronaldo since they purchased him from Sporting Lisbon in 2003 as a teenager. This means that any transfer takes place between clubs not between the concerned player and clubs. However, if the player is not keen on playing for the club, he does not have to, and he can simply not turn up to training any more. The club would then be forced to sell the player.

That said, it is not enough to justify a breaking of a contract especially one that is long term and which only has recently been signed. The only justification possible would be if the club has inflicted harm on the player, but in Ronaldo's case, there is none to be found. The only harm being inflicted is that of Ronaldo towards United.

Third Fact. Ronaldo has no sound basis to explain his desire to leave the club that made him into the player he is today. In England, he might have received his fair share of boos but that was due to his Academy award winning dives on the pitch. But that's nothing to the racism players such as Etoo have suffered. He also seems to have a good relationship with club management and well as players so no problems there either. Success on the pitch has certainly not been missing either. It makes people wonder why he's so keen on leaving.

So much for repaying the faith, Sir Alex put in him when he was a bought as a teenager in 2003. So much for respecting a manager who groomed him to become one of the most prolific footballers in the world today. So much for repaying the club and the fans who offered a large multi million contract for 5 years and now wanting to break it.

The lack of respect and loyalty shown by Ronaldo towards United is despicable and should be greatly condemned. It does not set a good example to young players around the world who idol Ronaldo. The fact that he has won so much at United does not justify one bit his desire to leave United. Also, the fact he's signed a 5 year contract in the last 18 months shows his supposed loyalty to the club and he must respect this even when tempted to do otherwise.

Put simply, Ronaldo is just a representative of today's generation of players where loyalty and respect take a back seat and where egos and personal rather than team motives take precedence. The era of club loyalty shown by players is gone and Ronaldo is the result of that. Money and personal success seem to be more important to him rather than respecting the club that has nurtured him. This isn't really surprising because it is simply part of the Generation Y syndrome that has affected the rest of society.

The lack of loyalty and respect among young players in football is reaching epic proportions to the point that I expect more cases like Ronaldo's to be appearing in the upcoming season. The problem with the loss of club loyalty is that clubs will forever be affected because players will not spend enough time at a single club to become an idol. The fans and the club will be the biggest losers in this situation. Football cannot afford to lose fans and clubs anywhere in the world. This is why young players must be taught more about club loyalty and respect today.

About the Author

Author Antonio da Silva is one of the chief writers of SportsNewsFootball.com, a leading sports news football website renowned for its fearless and acute analysis of the major stories affecting the beloved game of football.