Sir Alex Ferguson memorably stated earlier this season that he wouldn’t sell Real ‘a virus’. But in deciding to part with Cristiano Ronaldo on Thursday perhaps he has removed an unhealthy element from the body of his own squad, giving Manchester United the chance to grow ever stronger next season.
It would of course be ridiculous to cast doubt on Ronaldo’s quality and I would certainly never argue that the second best player in the world will not be a huge loss to the club, but ignoring all the predictions of doom and gloom at Old Trafford, the imminent world record transfer looks to be a good deal for all concerned.
Clearly he will benefit from the move. The biggest salary in world football, the chance to play alongside Kaka in Real’s grand new project, the chance to play for a club that, despite being in Spain, exercise a big influence on the minds of his fellow Portuguese. It all adds up for Ronaldo.
Real too of course. Florentino Perez has delivered the biggest transfer coup in football history, just days after signing Kaka. The new galacticos are congealing nicely and the Spanish side can once again boast to be the biggest club in the world, with the act of signing Ronaldo adeptly underlining their claims to superiority over United.
It has been reported that after Real were humbled by Liverpool in the Champions League, the United players teased Ronaldo and said ‘Why would you want to join that lot?’. A fair point at the time, but the arrival of Perez, and Kaka of course, has changed all that. Real are back as the preeminent force in world football.
But this is not the end of the world for United as a result, far from it. £80 million is an incredible amount to invest in the squad and Ferguson can now arguably go out and purchase four world class players if he is given free rein over the dividends.
Franck Ribery has already been mentioned as a likely target and Ferguson could now afford to pick up both him and David Villa this summer. When you factor in possible moves for Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Karim Benzema, the departure of Ronaldo could herald an overhaul of the United side. Not one that is needed, certainly, but an exciting one nonetheless.
Clearly if the limit of Ferguson's ambition is Antonio Valencia, though, they have a problem.
Even from within the current squad, Ronaldo’s exit could result in a more central role for Wayne Rooney and allow the England international to cut loose and revel as the focal point in the United attack.
Furthermore, let’s not forget that Ferguson shocked everyone when he sold Paul Ince, Andrei Kanchelskis and Mark Hughes in the summer of 1995. The Scot was equally ruthless when disposing of the likes of Roy Keane and Ruud van Nistelrooy but United have always, always responded.
United fans may feel deeply aggrieved at losing the reigning European and World Player of the Year, a man who has scored 67 goals in the past two seasons, but the club made abundantly clear that it was Ronaldo’s attitude that forced them to accept the offer, stating clearly on Thursday: “ [He] again expressed his desire to leave.”
And misgivings over his attitude are hardly new. Quite aside from his pedantic reactions to being substituted this season and his complete disregard for a referee’s authority, even after committing a blatant dive, his treatment of the club’s fans last summer bordered on contempt.
Announcing after the end of the season that he wanted his ‘dream’ move to Madrid, Ronaldo then kept a smirk fixed firmly on his face as he refused to confirm or deny whether he wanted to leave Old Trafford, leaving many frustrated.
At least United fans have been spared such a self-indulgent display this year.
I argued last year that Ronaldo should leave United but Fergie convinced him to stay and was handsomely rewarded for it. The forward helped contribute to another league success, as well as collecting the Carling Cup and Fifa Club World Cup trophies.
But despite all those public declarations of affection for the club – ‘Manchester United is now my house’ – Ronaldo has packed up his things, snuck out the front door and lined up a nice big Villa in the Spanish capital.
It is a relocation that all should welcome.