Cristiano Ronaldo Might Leave Real Madrid this Summer: Could this be a Blessing in Disguise?
Cristiano Ronaldo might leave Real Madrid this summer. According to a report by Marca, the Portuguese forward could be the first player sold to fund new players for manager Zinedine Zidane to build upon.
President of Real Madrid Florentino Pérez is reportedly disappointed with the club's place in the La Liga table. Los Blancos are sitting at the third place and are 12 points behind bitter rivals Barcelona. Many can assume that Madrid is out of the title race as the Catalan club is playing the best football in the world right now.
Ronaldo has said in the past the he wants to stay at the Bernabéu, but recent comments about his teammates fuelled the rumors of him being unhappy in the Spanish capital.
'If We Were All at My Level'
After the 1-0 derby loss to Atletico Madrid last Saturday, the 31-year-old found it frustrating why he is the only one being criticized, per AS.com. "It annoys me that they say that Cristiano has dropped his level, and that is why Madrid have dropped their level," Ronaldo said as quoted by ESPN FC.
In a report by The Guardian, the football superstar then proceeded to blast his teammates saying, "If we were all at my level, maybe we would be leaders. I don't want to disrespect anyone, but when the best players aren't available it's harder to win."
However, he clarified his statements, telling Marca that he meant physical level because of all the injuries. Regular members of the starting lineup like Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Marcelo are all out with injuries.
Madrid manager Zidane and captain Sergio Ramos both downplayed Ronaldo's comments. Los Blancos will be visiting Levante on Wednesday with Bale and Marcelo possibly returning to the starting lineup.
Will Madrid Benefit if Ronaldo Leaves?
Sport 360 suggested that Ronaldo still holds great monetary value in the transfer market despite being already 31 years old. The most likely transfer fee for the Portuguese is £70 million with Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain showing interests since last year.
That massive transfer fee, together with the other players to be sold this coming summer, can certainly fund a new wave of "Galacticos" signing. Some of the suggested names include Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba.
However, it can also be argued that Ronaldo is still very valuable to Real Madrid. Zidane has not been the club's manager for one season and many regulars suffered injuries. If the medical staff can keep their star players in top shape, Madrid can challenge Barcelona for the title in the next campaign.
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