Were Manchester United right to accept £80m for Ronaldo?

Robert Dineen

The Premier League club have finally put an end to the speculation over their player's future and accepted a world-record bid from Real Madrid. A statement on United's website revealed that they have acceded to a request from the Portuguese player to speak to the Spanish club about a transfer and expect negotiations to be completed by the end of the month.

Have the English club made the right decision? The staggering fee will provide them with ample transfer funds but they are giving up a player regarded by most as one of the two best in the world, a man who was pivotal to, among other successes, their three consecutive Premier League title wins, a Champions League victory and, at 24, has much of his career ahead of him.

Florentino Pérez, the Real Madrid president intent on acquiring the most marketable names in football, will also have been attracted to Ronaldo's huge commercial value. Yet for all the shirts United could have sold with his name emblazoned on the back had they rejected his request to move - for the second successive summer - they would also have retained an unhappy employee, potentially damaged team spirit and would have been subject to further, unsettling speculation about his future.

So, did they make the correct call? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.

Comments

[Rob]

Adios, don't let the door hit your arse on the way out...

[Tommy]

At least it's not going to be another summer of "will he, won't he".

Will SAF use the funds to buy Tevez though? Despite the fans' desires, I'm not sure

[Mark]

I think if we buy a new left-winger and a new right-winger then we can move Rooney across and actually play him as a striker instead of a left-winger. He will make the goals up. If we get him playing for us like he does for England he can be a 30 goal a season player.

Hopefully we can get Silva and Ribery and I would be very happy. I think we would have a better overall team. Also wouldn’t just have to rely on Ronaldo and could start playing better football rather than just holding the ball up and then giving it to him.

I’m genuinely happy he is going, can deffo be a good move for the club if we spend that money right.

[john Quinlan]

Who wants a player that doesn't want to play for them? I just hope man u have already had offers accepted for players to replace him otherwise clubs will be adding a few zero's.

[GlenMcEvoy]

I feel worried for United but if he does not want to play for United you have to let him go and a £80 Mil. bid was too good to turn down. Bring in Benzema, Ribery , Maicon, Douglas Costa and Valencia.

[deepo]

Who cares, good riddance! More importantly though, football is headed for a fall... this money fixation simply cannot continue forever.

[Peter]

United have absolutely done the right thing - whilst he's an excellent player he's also the singularly most arrogant player in the premier league and as such there're a lot of people who justifiably think we'll be better off without him. With the £80m United get they can do what they do best - build a TEAM rather than a bunch of great individuals (a la Real Madrid). Great business, Sir Alex.

[weg]

If he wanted to stay, they should've kept him no matter what. As you say, young, marketable, probably the best player on the planet and the difference in the Premier League.

But he wants to leave. And he won't sign a new contract with Utd, so he's got to go.

Castrol Oil - nothing says world-record transfer dealings like the smooth taste of Castrol Oil.

[Michael Bramah]

They were right to let him go. Cash in while you can!! Question is, can they get a suitable replacement? Certainly his set play skill will be missed...

[Ricky]

It will be a good opportunity for United to use the funds to buy two quality players. Bring it on !!

[Gavin]

Of course they were right to accept the bid. His heart isn't at utd, and no player is bigger than the club. Surely now we can rap up the Tevez saga and bring in one or two other big names.

[Tom]

Of course they are right to sell him. Firstly, no player is worth £80mil (though if any player is it would be Ronaldo). Secondly, he clearly didn't want to play any more for United, and there is no point forcing him to play. More over, despite the fact that his talent will undoubtedly be missed, United can buy several very good players with such a fee. Though, i think the likes of Liverpool will be rejoicing at the news: they now have more of a chance of catching United.

[j.rag]

are you kidding???
is it a good deal...seriously?!?

...go and ask any united fan [fan, that is...not customer] and they will say...

KER-CHIINNGGG!!!!!!!!!

[Jim]

Fantastic news. If we (Liverpool) can just hold on to all our players we should now win the next EPL - we'll never have a better chance.

Utd will spend but will the players bed in quickly enough? Hope not. It would be good for football to get a new name on the EPL trophy.

Good luck Ronnie.

[rob walmsley]

Fantastic news he has been carrying united for the last two seasons obscene amount of money I back fergie to but another veron! Liverpool for the league 09-10

[Mickey Mouse]

As a Chelsea fan, anything that weakens Man U is great news, so yes a correct call.

So they'll cash in and hopefully waste more cash on some Nani-esque players!

It's a win-win for the rest of the Prem.

[Jon Wilson]

It was a shock to wake up to Man Utd confirming they have accepted a bid of £80m from Real Madrid for Ronaldo after many years of speculation. Although I am a United fan I see the positive side to this transfer. Ok so I'm not exactly happy of the situation, but the money that we would get for him could get us three world class players. United are a great team and have shown in the past that no player no matter how great will never be bigger than the club. So I ask the question, Can a club keep a player that wants to leave? my answer to that question would be no. If the heart ain't at the club then the passion will not be present either. So I leave it to say "Ronaldo, thank you for being a great player at my club and for helping us win all the trophies we have won in your presence. Your boy hood dream is coming true and I wish you all the best"

[James]

If he didn't leave this summer, it would have been next. I say let him go. This looks to be one of the most interesting transfer periods in years, and now United have ample cash to spend...

[Martin]

A good price and probably the right time to cash in, even though he is irreplaceable in the current team and the only player who stood up to Barcelona. 80m could buy 2-3 top players and get the squad playing as a free-flowing and scoring unit again.

[gavin johnson]

When a player wants to go there is very little you can do. After Man Utd lost to Barca in the Champions League final you could see it in his face that he had enough. Ronaldo is very selfish player. He does not play for Man U but himself (fails to pass when he should and would rather go for goal). Man u need to proove that no player is biiger than the club. Good bye to good rubbish!

[Yahya]

Too cheap. United should consider the commercial value, not just his worth as a player. He will make Real hundreds of millions in Euros due to merchandising etc. £200 million would have been a fair price and at that Real would have seen a profit.

[Kaykay]

I think Ronaldo leaving is good. If he can't track back to help out the defence and as a result have Rooney sacrificed to play on the wings just because he tracks back isn't right.He was good for us but that's the end of it. We continue marching relentlesly and the rebuilding starts now.

[James]

I'd hardly say that Ronaldo is one of the world's top two players. On form, Kaka is also on a different level, and Xavi and Iniesta are two players who are far superior, although people don't recognise this because their job is not to score as many goals as possible.

[Adam Saint]

Great bit of business by SAF! Make Real wait a year until they get a new president, then cash in on the sale! Hope he spends wisely (but then he normally does!). DON'T buy Tevez (he is not that good), buy Benzema and Ribery, play Rooney and Benzema/Berbatov up front and watch the trophies role in!

I am afraid it's all downhill for Ronaldo now!

[Phil]

The money is good, but are Man United going to be a better team without one of the best players in the world? Probably not.

[Nick]

He clearly didn't want to stay, so what's the point in keeping him? And really, why shouldn't he move - he's been at United since he was 17, helped them to trophies galore - and leaves them with a £70M profit.

I know its hard to take for United fans (and I'm one) to see a player move to a rival whilst still at thier peak (apparently), but I think when you take youngsters from all over the globe, it is hardly realistic to expect them to have the same loyalty to the club as the likes of Neville and Scholes.

Neither does can we really complain about breaking of a contract, because everyone knows that clubs NEVER want the player to get to the end of thier contract.

I for one have this season got tired of Ronaldo's petulance when things haven't gone his way, so if he doesn't want to be at United and wants a change of scene - fair enough, he's done a good stint.

Best thing would be to look for a striker (which Ronaldo has been really for the last two years) who can complement Rooney well - strong and quick pushing the defence back giving Rooney space behind, and get a genuine wide player for the left. Shouldn't be impossible with £80M.

[Paul Mbuga]

Yes, correct call.
Makes perfect economic and footballing sense.
Remember, Ronaldo's contribution to United over the past two years was purely in terms of goals --- he ceased being a creator ages ago.
Logical thing for United is to buy a player who can score goals, can shoot, can head and they will be fine.
But then again, is that not what we said after van Nistelrooy's departure? Look at how potent United turned out after he left.
United will be fine. A central midfielder and a winger/striker and all will be well. Juventus is the classic example. They sold Zidane in 2001, made three astute signings and became stronger.
Or conversely, no one in at all and all could still be well.
We'll see.

[ART]

This is a colossal mistake IMO. He is still head and shoulders above everyone else in the United team and he possesses that rarest of attributes: the ability to change a game in one moment of brillance i.e. Villa at home, Porto away... Even tho he had periods last season where he didn't look interested, without him we wouldn't have won the title or got to the CHL final.

What good is £80m in the bank? Unless we're going to buy Messi with that money then we're effectively replacing the World Player of the Year with someone else inferior.

Who cares that we can buy Ribery, Valencia, etc. etc. just from 1 sale, we can only put one of them in the starting eleven instead.

[Majid]

Being a huge Utd fan, i am torn between the thought of losing the best player in the world and realising that it might be the best thing for the club. he didn't seem to care towards the end of the season and i don't want a player at my club if he won't give his all.. that said he will be missed by us and how will we replace a "winger" who can score 25+ goals a season... but best of luck to him but Utd are bigger and we will continue to win trophies. Get Ribery, Silva and Benzema!

[jonners]

All this i go, i stay business was getting rather tedious and probably starting to grate with his team mates. Of course he's a great player and has done a brilliant job at Utd but other irreplaceable players have moved on and Fergie simply finds a new player or team solution. His value now is probably at it's optimum and if he was going to sulk for another season there is no point keeping him. It has also been noticed that he has played less and less for the team and increasing more for himself. True he scores spectacular goals at times but Fergie will have weighed up accommodating his attitude and his performance with what is best for the team. He's also taken to wearing womens clothing just like Beckham before him, never a great sign. Look out for Rooney really staring this season and plenty more trophies.

[James]

They were right to let him go because of the money they'll make. Ronaldo is worth nowhere near that amount of money. No one is, and if they were, it would be Messi or Kaka. I'd pay more for players like Iniesta or Xavi, who are better players but who don't get the credit that they deserve because their job isn't to score as many goals as possible

[Piers]

I said to my mates after the CL Final he'll leave now and it'll probably be for the best for all parties. Everyone could see he wasn't happy and totally committed this year. United get a LOT of money, Real get their super star and Ronaldo gets his dream move. As long as the money is used to promote success on the field (Ribery and Villa anyone?) as a Manchester United fan i'm fine with it, but sad to see him go. An exceptional talent.

[Mutahi Chiira]

I should think so Rob.
Over the last couple of seasons, he`s been at a peak but u have to say that he was proving to be bigger than the club with the `only God knows about the future` stance. He was non-comittal and the club, at this stage of development, needs 100% commitment to ensure constant growth and more success.
Now its time to see what the gaffer does with the cash, astute as he always is.
Valencia, Moutinho maybe?

[Mark]

I'd be amazed if they find another player that tears apart the smaller teams like Ronaldo has done over the last few seasons - and thats what one them the league this year.

[Himan(neutral)]

hihihi those who say that CR7 is not worth 80M don't know his commercial value. Real fans will be fighting for CR7 shirts now...And this alone could cover at least 40M!!

P.S: it's funny how united fans find Cr7 a bad player now. Guess what, when people said he was a diver only 3 months ago united fans said everybody was only envious.lol what an irony. hope to see cr7 score a hat trick against utd in Cl soon

[Ilja]

Chelsea became the ultimate hate-club because of the arrogance and narcissm of its manager Mourinho. Now that he's gone, they are a lot more down to earth.
ManU might experience a similar sensation, altough the arroganxe of this club stems from the obedient reverence of the English FA and media.
Still, one more insufferable ego gone from the EPL - good.

[prem123]

good bye ronaldo, english football doesn't need him, u need more smarter players like, kaka or beckham! kaka is smart, ronaldo shows off nd then loses the ball

[Joe Morelli]

I strongly believe so! At present there is no sport anymore but only business...The selling price and income are extremely good...it's very good deal and business.
Joe

[Darren]

Yes yes YES!!!
Is he a great player, yes. But so were Robson, Cantona, Schmeichel, Beckham, Keane, and Van Nistelrooy, and United just kept getting better and better after they all left.
He demanded attention, even after scoring he'd run off on his own, never acknowledging any other players roles in the goal (see his 2nd V Arsenal in the Champs League, not even a look to Park or Rooney who created the goal).
He had to play through the middle as he flat refused to track back, meaning Rooney had to be stuck wide left, now Rooney can be played in his true position, through the middle, in the Cantona/Sheringham/Bergkamp role.
We can use the money to bring 3 or 4 new, young, world class players in. Hopefully a keeper, a striker(NOT Tevez!), a winger, and a centre midfielder. Start by bidding 50-60 million for Villa and Silva (they might not come but there's no harm in bidding).
All in all I'm delighted, your good Ronny lad, but not as good as your massive ego thinks.

[Ian]

Great business for Utd. Such a shame that despite him being a truly quality player, all anyone really talks about his how much they despise him (Utd fans included!!). Never have I seen such a petulant, whiny, self-indulgent winker. Which takes some doing in the modern era!

[HarryBoulton]

For £80m you're joking aren't you? Another year into his contract, the lad obviously wants to leave, we've had 6 great years out of him and now they're paying us back our initial fee 7-fold? Take him.

He can be replaced. Maybe not by one player, but defeinitely by two, and £80m should be more than enough.

[afsar rizvi]

For that price it is a good deal considering Ronaldo wants to leave as well. A team needs to perform well as a unit and Ronaldo's attitude of late with Sir Alex has not been very pleasant to watch. Man Utd will not be able to replace him but i dont think they had much choice.

[Darren Gilmore]

Are Utd right to sell? Well if you are skint what choice do you have? And make no bones about it Man Utd are on their uppers!!! So to speak.

[Ronnie]

100% agree with Darren. Utd will be a better and more balanced TEAM now and other players will flourish with Diddums gone.

[ben]

its rooney that makes united tick, his head hasnt been with united all season. he goes missing game after game, fergie wouldnt let any other play get away with so many poor performances. next year give nani his shot and with hargreaves back there wont be any difference to this year, only thing united need is a striker to replace one goal a year tevez and berbatov

[Dizzy]

A replacement? What about Walcott? Undervalued and underused at Arsenal (no french?). Ferguson could help hom become the player he should be - as good as Ronaldo!

[Richard Goldthorpe]

I don't see what all the fuss is.

If he's as good as the United fans think he is, it was surely only a matter of time befor he joined a bigger club.

[Mark]

Who cares?

[Lloyd]

CR7 is a great player ,Man utd Fan's know it,it's just they didn't want to see him go it's time for the player to grow somewhere Else,and the fan should stop bad mouthing him now that he is going just wish him good luck where he is going.he did great at man utd

[Nick]

It all depends on the new signings. Fergie seems to alternate between playing an absolute blinder in the transfer market and then a couple of disaster years.

The recent success was built on the spectacular buys of Evra, Vidic and Ronaldo, + the costly but well worth it buys of Carrick and Rooney. Overall he hardly put a foot wrong.

Then came Hargreaves (could be good if was ever fit), Anderson (might be decent one day, but two seasons in seems overpriced), Nani (I don't think so), and Berbatov (whatever he's the answer to, its not the right question).

Fergie needs to regain his nous fast, because every club in the world will want to offload thier duds for a slice of that £80M

[Chay Asquith-Smythe]

Ronaldo could be replaced by only two better players. Kaka and Messi. He will not be replaced.

Cristiano has carried a very average Man Utd team to a few trophies over the past three years. Alex Ferguson was so reluctant to sell him as he realised the team was basically Ronaldo and a few other players to make up the numbers.

It will be interesting to see the spin from the Manchester United Marketing Machine on this one. Beckham was replaced but he had about 20% of the impact of Ronaldo on the pitch. Keane was replaced by Ronaldo's immense performances. Ruud was replaced by Ronaldo's immense performances.

The only player that Ferguson truly replaced was Stam - by Vidic.

Look at the poor buys over the past 5 years: Nani, Anderson, Park, Berbatov, Carrick, Hargreaves - hardly a good record.

It looks likely that Tevez will leave. That leaves Man Utd - the so-called "Greatest Team In The World" - with no world class players, merely a team of hod carriers.

They have become "The Greatest Feeder Club In The World" to both Real Madrid and Manchester City.

Any player that does well at Man Utd will simply be bought by a bigger rival.

If Valencia is bought by Man Utd and does well, Real will simply buy him when needed and thank Man Utd for giving him a stepping stone.

The truth hurts.

[Toby]

Anderson is a fantastic attacking midfielder for Brazil he was devastating so maybe if Hargreaves returns fergie will let him off the leash.

We do need more width though so Ribery and Silva would be great buys !

[Tom Holvey]

I'm not a Utd fan but I have to luagh at Chay Asquith-Smythe analysis. Man Utd a feeder club to Man City and Real?? Carrick and Anderson poor buys? Really what planet is this gut on!! I would suggest that Ronaldo is the first person Real have bought from Utd that Utd wanted to actually keep and even then Utd have the better deal. And what player has gone from utd to City? None, even if Tevez does he was hardly a first choice at Utd was he? Crazy crazy Chay

[Chris]

All these comments that Real are a bigger club than Utd are just not true; even as a City fan I say that. Good player that he is Utd are better off with the money. As for Real - this all looks rather desperate; I doubt very much it will be enough to catch up with a magnificent Barca team.

[SwissToni]

Sad to see a great player leave.

Some restructuring is now needed.Let Tevez go, sell Nani, and bring in Arda Turan and Alexander Hleb. It may be that Ronaldo's departure will bring out the best in Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney.It all makes for an interesting pre-season.

[ben]

Well I used to like ronaldo as a player and a person he actually used to be humble I remember when querioz was telling the camera that he thought ronnie was better than zidane and he was blushing and saying no no then all this best player in the world talk from the media and he gets to big headed no one is bigger than the club Im surprised fergie put up with his petulance yes he is a great player but will not go down well in the united history books despite being one of their most gifted ever,with the money we NEED benzema and ashley young this way I think are team will be more balanced ,we will get the best out of rooney and play around him again ,benzemas fast and a deadly finisher ashley young could step up to ronaldos boots but not as many goals and a lot more assists as ronaldo stopped makin them a couple of years ago and we will be more of a team again since 2006 we have played more and more around ronaldo with rooney and tevez both doing his dirty work to set him free- in fact the formations that fergie used against arsenal and barca in the final were all heavily reliant on ronaldo scoring if we scored first in the final I think we would of won when they had to come forward leaving room to counter, anyway so long ronaldo you will be missed on the pitch but good riddens to your attitude

[Chris_L]

Really Darren?

Just kept getting better after they all left?

Had a lot of great keepers since Schmiechel then, that must be why you've changed every couple of seasons.

This is not to say Utd can't improve, but selling arguably the best player in the world is hardly a sign of strength.

[siba]

£56m on one player, then £80m on another....I expect Platini and Blatter will issue statements soon bemoaning the power of Real Madrid and the recklessness of their spending....no hang on a minute, they aren't a Premier League side are they? ;-)

[J.Wiewel]

Glad he'll be going, what an annoying character this guy has grown in to. He became more and more a queen on and off the pitch. Get some men in again who, like Tevez and Rooney, will just play football, even when they loose the ball.

[Nigatu]

I think this is one of the most exciting football deal i saw in my life. I know Man u. is the team which depends less on individuals. so life will continue even better at OT, assuming that the money will be spent on at least three world class players like Benzema, Silva, if possible Moutinho. The message i have for fans of liverlose chelschaos is not to be too much carried away because man utd poved time and again of being a club that can survive with the lose of big players.

[Vince]

It was inevitable. There's no passion or magic in a player who would rather be somewhere else. United probably have had the best of this player and he has overall been a huge asset to them. (well £80M is a huge asset) But time to move on - and by that not just Ronaldo.

[Jamz]

CR was great for Utd - no ones going to dispute that. Will he be missed ? Very possibly.

Bottom line is that No player is bigger then the club ! If he wants to go and the cash is good - Good bye Ronaldo and thank you for your contribution. It's time for United to move on.

[Lezli]

United really will need to replace him, maybe with Roman Bednar or Franco Di Santo or a real star like these 2 big names

[Mark Andrews]

United need Ronaldo's skills but not his attitude - which has become increasingly worse - and for that reason they were right to take the cash

[jonners]

Old Charlie Smith talks about as much sense as another hyphenated fool Kilroy-Silk. Yes Ronaldo is a great player and has done well for Utd, but every player reaches a time when they no longer fit in with the teams objectives and from both a playing and attitude perspective that time has come for Ronaldo. Ask any former Utd player what it was like when they left Old Trafford and they will tell you that it was a step down. As to Utd winning a few trophies, maybe Smithy can't count above 10, Fergie has managed success after success and proved that no one is irreplaceable or bigger than the team. Ronnie wants to play for Franco's old fascist mob, let him, if he gets Sky he'll still be able to watch a proper club win more trophies.

[Chris_T]

Can't deny he's been an exceptional player for us, and he will be missed, but we've proved time and time again that we can survive and even grow after selling star players. In my opinion the timing was definitely right on this one, his heart's obviously not in Manchester any more and maybe now, as several others have said, we can finally sign Tevez and he can become the true United legend he promises to be. I think £80m is great business and if we spend it wisely on players like Franck Ribery and possibly Ashley Young, we'll be just fine. Thanks for the memories Ronnie, and good luck.

[We want Truth, Justice and Peace]

Now, in Spain, we have many of the best world players like Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Kaka, Villa, Cristiano, Silva, Casillas, Henry, Eto´o, Alves, Forlan, Agüero... and others can come like Ibrahimovic, Ribery, Xabi Alonso?, Cesc?... I think this is especially bad for The Premier. Anyway you still have a very good players. I'd like to see a match beetwen The Premier and La Liga!!. Excuse my orthographic mistakes and greetings from Spain.

[Kim]

No player is bigger than a club - they've survived others leaving and this will be no different. That's the way of the world.

[Tony willis]

That is a very good business deal. Well done Man U

[Bill]

I dont normally say thing like this as i beleive everyone should have a right to comment on these articles but Chay Asquith-Smythe please stay off of the posts until you haave some basic knowledge of football.

[Madridista forever]

Why should Platini and FIFA interfere with how much we can spend on players. We have the money because we have it and we have it because we have a history and more fans worldwide than anyone else. Sorry for buying your player ManU, you do exactly the same to the smaller fish. And we are the biggest fish at the moment you like it or not. Enjoy our money and keep trying.

[Godfrey]

United will certainly miss him.His contribution to the team these past three years cannot be deoied. But there is no denying the fact that his heart was somewhere else and therefore there was no poit in keeping him at OT.Utd should use the money to acquire a good striker to replace him. However they should concentrate on once again produce their own home grown players.They are the ones who will be heartily committed to the club. Look at Neville, Giggs and Scholes.

[Xavi]

Obviously that's a great deal for United. Any football player coasts such a big amount of money... At least it shouldn't and less in the current times with this economical crisis!

Considering the difficulty for a worker to get a small credit from any bank it would be fine if Mr. Perez could explain where the money comes from...

[ADAM]

I wonder how long it'll be untill I'll be reading negative comments from Blatter and Plantini about these obscene sums of money being paid......... My guess is forever!!

[fairdes]

It would appear that some people don't have a sense of humour. Surely you would have noticed that Chay Asquith-Smythe had his tongue firmly placed in his cheek! Hilarious comments and clearly made for a laugh (and reaction judging by the nasty feedback). :-)

[David]

As an Arsenal fan its got to be good news. Man U lost the Champions League final and then sold thier best player - both good for their rivals. 80 million will be to service debt, not buy new players, and anyway there are no great players out there for them to buy. Man U will be weaker next season for sure.

[matt rag]

i am not a united fan but if i was i would be happy with the decision that has been made. ferguson always makes the right choice about when to let a player go even if he is currently one of the best in the world. he will not be able to continue on this form like he has been and has had his best seasons already.

also plattini and blatter should come out and comment about real madrids buting so far this season but they wont. hte double standards in uefa and fifa are clear to see. if it had been chelsea or man city offering this ammount of money then they surely would have stuck their noses in.

[Matt]

£80,000,000 is a huge sum, especially for a player whose heart is elsewhere, but Man Utd cannot be happy with this business. First of all he's their best player - and only 24; secondly they have lost face and prestige by having a rival club sign their best player notwithstanding Utd's stated desire to keep him; thirdly they have not already lined up a replacement and now the price of whoever they buy to replace Ronaldo will be inflated, given that the selling club knows how much Utd have in the bank. Sloppy business: they should have planned for this, got replacements lined up at acceptable prices, and made an effort to make it look as if they CHOSE to sell.

[Chay Asquith-Smythe]

Ronaldo was right to go. He's much too big for a club like Man Utd and it was inevitable they couldn't keep someone of his calibre for long.

The Glazers wont have endeared themselves to Alex Ferguson by selling about 80% effectiveness of his team in one fell swoop.

"I wouldnae sell a virus tae that mawb. Da yaz think I wud enter a contract wi that mawb" I think were his words.

Looks a bit churlish now, doesn't he? All caused by hedge funds waiting for payments. A great manager has been undermined and looks like a complete fool.

I'm sure Berbatov, Park, Nani, O'Shea, Fletcher, Carrick et al will go on to win many more Carling Cups, Community Shields and World Club Championships.

[Robert]

No Manchester United supporter can be feeling 100% certain about our future after we agree to sell our best player and a top goal scorer.

But Ronaldo has been wanting a move and I think his antics have worn out his welcome. His criticism of Ferguson does'nt help anything.

Its uncertain who wil pick up the clask, but I think we can continue to be a title winning side with such a lineup as we have.

[Patrick Moore]

Jaap Stam aside Fergie always knows when to let players go even if they appear to be at their peak (Ince, Kanchelskis, Van Nistelrooy). Ronaldo is outstanding and will play at this level until his pace fades at about 28 / 29, however, £80m can be reinvested in the team and there are other outstandng players who don't come with the same baggage. Benzema in particular looks as good as the Brazilian Ronaldo at his peak (still the best player I have seen in the flesh). Also, have we all forgotten about Rooney? This could be the best news for England's World Cup chances. Rooney restored as Utd's main man showing the world what it has been missing since Euro 2004. Rooney for the Ballon D'Or 2010 anyone?

[James Daly]

Great business. You can't build a team around a primadonna. What did the last set of Galacticos achieve? Only shame is that Man U didn't get Kaka (a better player all round) and still have £24m change. United for the treble next season - with a team where all the players play for the team

[Chris Ryan]

80 million is insane money for any player and you would take it for any player no matter who. Ronaldo is certainly ONE OF the best players in the world individually, but to keep him at Old Trafford with one eye elsewhere would be stupid. I dont believe Man Utd will be much weaker without him, if at all. 80mil would buy 2, maybe 3 of the best possible replacements for him. I see it being spent on one classic winger, maybe Valencia with maybe a target striker as well. Giggs and Scholes need replacing- so attacking mids might be on the menu, whether Tevez figures is up to himself and Kia Joorwotsiname. All in all should prove good business for the Fergler.

[jonners]

If Smithy had even rudimentary knowledge of football or something approaching humour and wit, we could all enjoy his posts. Sadly he is somewhat lacking in either and just posts on and on making error after uninformed error on his pet hate Man Utd. I guess when he grows up and his mum lets him out to actually watch a few games, he might realise that you generally have 22 players on the pitch at the same time.

[somboy]

United has so many exciting young players looking for oxygen in a crowded room.

Use this money and the transfer kitty to pay off more of the debt and give the kids some breathing space.

United's got the talent to make another run at both the EPL title and CL, and there's a good chance some of these other top clubs are going to financially implode. The battle isn't always won on the field.

[Bisa Amoo-Gottfried]

I agree with Fairdes. That Chay Smith is a funny guy and master prankster, though it's never too difficult to spark a reaction on these kinds of forum and i've had fun reading the reactions he's been sparking all week.
One thing though, Chay: You mentioned Man Utd winning the World Club Championship in a derisory manner, seemingly forgetting that they would have to win the Champions League just to get in the competition in the first place. Other than that, keep up the good work.

[fairdes]

Smithey is clearly looking for a bite or two. Mission accomplished!

On a serious note, however, there is nothing to suggest that Ferguson will be able to use all the cash coming in from the sale of Ronaldo. And even if he does, it takes time to bed new players in so it's being a little optimistic to suggest that United will be stronger next season. Still, you would take the money wouldn't you. Why would you want to have an unhappy employee who would rather be somewhere else.

And one last thing, does anyone honestly believe that Ferguson had any say in the sale of Ronaldo. United are up to their necks in debt and the sale makes perfect financial sense, if not football sense. No, Ronaldo was sold by Gill under the instructions of Glazer.

[iWorshipTheDevil]

Sad to see him go, but with so much money coming in, we can now go out and buy Ribery, Messi, Benzema and Yaya Toure :)

[Majid]

I think this Lezli person is a joke! Di Santo and Bednar?! They wouldn't get into my local sunday league team or my weekday 5 a side team! Viva David Silva!

[SwissToni]

Madridsta Forever,

You have money because you were bailed out several years ago by the tax payers of Madrid (including Athletico fans) and I expect that a similar arrangement will be in place this time.

This will all be accompanied by a deafening silence from messers Platini and Blatter.However it is unlikely that the arrival of Kaka and Ronaldo will enable Madrid to overcome Barcelona , as you have a totally appalling defence, an aspect of the game of football that successive Presidents have managed to overlook completely.

[Subba]

1. Player wants to leave.
2. Player's valuation would have dropped significantly had he stayed on for another season.
3. Player holds personal gain above the team's.
4. Player has grown to become an unbearable preening pratt.
5. Other players have had to live with his arrogance and sacrifice their game to accommodate his for too long.
6. Club could do alot with that kind of money.
7. Club had to act quickly before Madrid came to their senses.

That's reasons enough to accept Madrid's offer.

[CHRIS_T]

Chay,

Maybe you're attempting to be a comedian, maybe you're just an idiot, I don't know, but you're wasting everyone's time. So please would you find something else to do with your afternoon and leave the rest of us alone to have an intelligent debate.

Kind regards.

[Ed O'Brien]

As we saw towards the end of last season, having too many world stars in the attacking midfield and strikers categories can be bad for morale. Slowly and most definitely surely, keeping Ronaldo would be a big mistake for this reason alone. Add to this the risk of an unhappy player - performance no better that 75% at best - the continued media hype, possible contractual conflicts and worldwide accusations of "slavery", £80m is an offer ManU simply could not refuse.

[Nick]

80 million? Of course they were right to accept that.
Once the player wants to go wants the point of trying to keep him?

I have a sneaky feeling that United will have deals in principal on a number of targets, i cant believe they would sanction the deal without covering their backs first.

Next 4 weeks should be interesting as a i believe United cant afford to hang about in waiting to bring new players in. Ideally we would like all activity to be done in time for pre-season.

Who comes? Who knows but id take Ribery, Benzema, a versatile defender and a keeper

[Chay Asquith-Smythe]

Chris_T,

I'm sorry you feel your comments are worth much more than mine and I'm wasting your valuable time.

Can I suggest that if you don't like the truth, you could scroll down a few lines and skip my missives.

I can understand the forum may well be slightly emotional now. Many Man Utd fans are realising that their best player has moved on to bigger and better things. There is a sense of loss perpetuating through these forums.

Others may feel ashamed after believing the Marketing Machine for many years and are slowly realising their debt-ridden club isn't "The Greatest Team In The World" after all.

By stating the truth, I believe I'm helping many Utd fans to see sense and break free of the Man Utd Marketing Machine. They may now see their beloved club as it is rather than through spin-tinted spectactles.

You must know the first law of football: bigger clubs poach players from smaller clubs. Man Utd have lived by the sword and now they die by the sword.

Kindest Regards,
Chay

[jonners]

Smithy, all of these constant references to the 'Marketing Machine' are you reading too much George Orwell for your homework? It's also quite an odd criticism, if thats what's intended, when Madrid's president has stated that the marketing plan is one of the main planks of Madrids new order.

[Rezwan]

Better to say a quick goodbye rather than a messy one. Should we have sold him? Yes, but we need to step up our player recruitment otherwise next season will be really tough. I just wish we had managed to squeeze a couple more million from Real Madrid. Ronaldo the player, is over overpriced at 80 million pounds but 80 million pounds doesn't cover the loss in terms of commercial revenue to United or the aggravation they have caused for the last 3 years.

[Tony Butler]

Smithy,

Don't matter to me mate whether we're the biggest club in the world or the smallest club in England. Don't matter who wears the shirts, I'll still support them. One Love. It's the difference between a supporter and a 'fan'.

As far as I know the club 'senior' debt is on a 40 year mortgage. Some of the cash may be used to lower the debt, but it's far from necessary.

[MUfan]

Won't say I'm delighted to see him leave, but there isn't any point keeping a player who is not 100% committed to the team.

[williamhill]

as a man utd fan, im delighted. im embarassed on the time wasted diving, moaning and that strop.