Skip to main content
Just Imagine

Five-a-side: Should Cristiano Ronaldo stay or go?

  • Story Highlights
  • Cristiano Ronaldo linked with big move from Manchester United to Real Madrid
  • Move would likely make Portuguese forward the world's most expensive player
  • United have urged Ronaldo to stay, say moving to Spain would be a mistake
  • Let us know what you think by commenting below
  • Next Article in World Sport »
Decrease font Decrease font
Enlarge font Enlarge font

(CNN) -- Should he stay or should he go? Manchester United insist Cristiano Ronaldo will still be wearing a red shirt next season but the Portuguese winger, courted by Real Madrid, has refused to rule out a move to Spain.

Cristiano Ronaldo has refused to commit himself to Manchester United.

Cristiano Ronaldo has refused to commit himself to Manchester United.

Football Fan Zone presents five reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo should stay at Manchester United and five reasons why he should move to Real Madrid.

Let us know what you think below.

Stay:

Loyalty: Manchester United took a huge risk when they signed Ronaldo as an unproven 18-year-old for what seemed a vast sum of $25 million in 2003. Since then, under the tutelage of Alex Ferguson and Carlos Queiroz, Ronaldo has developed from a raw talent more famous for his stepovers into the most effective and consistent player on the planet. United also stood by Ronaldo when he was widely blamed in England for getting his club mate Wayne Rooney sent off during the 2006 World Cup. At 23, Ronaldo owes his best years to United, the club that has helped him fulfil that potential. He has almost four years left on a contract worth $240,000 a week -- making him United's best paid player -- and he should honor it.

Glory: Having dominated the English Premier League for the past two seasons and won last season's Champions League, Manchester United are a club in the ascendancy. With a young team boasting the attacking talents of Ronaldo and Rooney, outstanding young prospects such as Anderson and Nani and a solid defense built around Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, United could be the preeminent force in European football for seasons to come. If football is primarily about winning trophies, rather than money or lifestyle, then Ronaldo should stay where he is.

The Premier League: The English Premier League is the most watched football tournament on the planet and increasingly the stage on which the world's best players want to showcase their talents. It was no coincidence that three of last season's four Champions League semifinalists came from the EPL. This week the current world footballer of the year, Kaka, has been linked with a big money move to Chelsea. Real Madrid may be the Spanish champions and one of the world's most famous clubs, but United are currently the biggest club in the biggest league in the world.

Continuity: Leaving a club is always a risk and there is no guarantee that a player will settle successfully into a new set-up in a different country, as Thierry Henry has discovered at Barcelona. At Old Trafford, Ronaldo is the undisputed star with a system built around him and teammates working for him. At Real Madrid he would be one ego among many. Real's Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder has already warned that Ronaldo's arrival on a massively inflated salary would not be welcomed by other squad members: "It would be bad for the dressing room if he gets a much higher salary than the rest of the squad. It's not important to me but I know other teammates would not like that at all."

Injury: Having been carrying an ankle injury since March, Ronaldo finally went under the knife earlier this month and is expected to be sidelined until at least October -- long after the summer transfer window has closed. Ronaldo should be concentrating on getting back to full fitness as quickly as possible rather than worrying about a possible transfer. A move to a new club would also likely put him under more pressure to play before he has made a full recovery.

Go:

A fresh challenge: Ronaldo has achieved everything he can in English football after two near perfect seasons at Old Trafford, winning back-to-back English Premier League titles and player of the year awards and a European Champions League winner's medal. If the 23-year-old is to continue developing he needs to find new challenges; what bigger challenge than joining Real Madrid -- the club of the "Galacticos" -- for a world record transfer fee?

Carlos Queiroz: The former United assistant manager was a big influence on Ronaldo's career and an important mentor figure. With Queiroz departing to coach the Portuguese national side, will Old Trafford hold the same appeal for his protege? Ronaldo has said he is prepared to "upset" Alex Ferguson and admits he has not spoken to the United manager in weeks while apparently taking advice from former national team coach Luis Felipe Scolari -- now managing United's biggest rivals Chelsea.

Money: Real Madrid are apparently prepared to make Ronaldo the most expensive and best paid player in the world. A transfer fee of around $140 million would smash the $92 million Real paid for Zinedine Zidane in 2001. On top of that, Ronaldo could command wages of up to $400,000 a week. By comparison, United have said they are not prepared to renegotiate Ronaldo's current deal worth $240,000 a week. In an industry driven by money, Ronaldo should go where he can command the highest wages.

Lifestyle: It's a long way from the sun-drenched beaches of Ronaldo's home island of Maderia to the dreary gray skies of the northwest of England. Madrid may not have any beaches either but at least the weather and the food are more familar and it's a lot closer to home. As a city, Madrid is far better suited to Ronaldo's southern European temperament than Manchester.

Real Madrid: Manchester United may be big but Real Madrid are in a league all of their own. With nine European Cups and 31 Spanish titles to their name, Madrid's achievements are unrivalled. Having written himself into Manchester United folklore, Ronaldo has the opportunity to do the same on the Bernabeu pitch once graced by the likes of Francisco Gento, Alfredo di Stefano and Fernec Puskas. Ronaldo may already have done enough to win this year's world footballer of the year award but a move to Madrid would likely seal that honor: in recent years Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Brazilian striker Ronaldo and Fabio Cannavaro have all won the honor while wearing the most famous white shirt in sport.

  • E-mail
  • Save
  • Print