Ronaldo to United? Don’t put your red shirt on it
The odds are plunging on the prodigal’s return to Old Trafford – but it is all just a negotiating tactic, says Jim White
‘The chances of him playing in red next season are about as high as me being Jose’s assistant’
One thing about those who gamble: wishful thinking invariably clouds judgment. The latest indication that logic plays little part in a visit to the bookies is the news that money has been piling in behind the idea of Cristiano Ronaldo heading to Manchester United. Such has been the influx of cash, William Hill has shortened the odds of the prodigal’s return to 7/4.
Which is one of many reasons why bookmakers’ profits remain one of the few growth areas in the national economy. The chances of Ronaldo actually turning out in a red shirt next season are about as high as me being invited to become Jose Mourinho’s assistant. It is not going to happen.
Not that brutal certainty will curtail the hope. For any sentient United fan, the very thought of Ronaldo’s return is one to send spirits soaring during the summer heat. They will recall that when he was on the pitch in his later days at Old Trafford, to avert the eyes for a second was to risk missing a critical piece of action. He was not even at his best then. Since he went to Real Madrid he has blossomed into the giant he always insisted he would become. And now, even at 32, a man who has so relentlessly maintained his personal prowess would represent a legitimate five-year investment. This is not a player in decline.
More to the point, his signing would resolve immediately the central shortcoming of Mourinho’s United. Last season they slipped out of title contention because of a chronic draw affliction. With Ronaldo in the side, that issue would be resolved overnight. This is a goal machine, a forward with a serious hat-trick habit, a finisher who would convert one point into three with relentless certainty.
Just for that, it would be worth confronting the magnificently selfaggrandising $1 billion buy-out clause in his Real contract. And that is before we start on the effect on United’s bottom line. Shirt sales would go into orbit, negotiations for an enhanced contract with United’s South-east Asian noodle partner would be injected with urgency. Money talks at Old Trafford, and no name would shout louder than Ronaldo.
How everyone at the club would love him back. But then, I would love to be the first man on Mars. The fact is, the tantalising hint that he might return is cooked up as a tactic whenever there is an issue that needs resolving in his Madrid terms. It happened in 2013 and 2015, indeed it happens every summer when there is no international tournament to divert the attention.
In the process of negotiation, Ronaldo’s busy representatives suggest he might want to leave Spain, and immediately spark a bonfire of overexcitement. The threat and counter-threat is a bit like the Brexit talks. Except with the tantalising prospect of a very happy ending. One year it might be done to buff up his contract. Another it could be his ego that needs polishing. This time, he has an issue with the Spanish tax authorities, and his agent, Jorge Mendes, has been quick to threaten withdrawal of his client’s labour from the country should the investigation be extended.
But a negotiating tactic is all this is. Why would he want to leave Madrid? There he enjoys his profession’s ultimate double whammy: paid more than anyone in the world, he wins more than he could anywhere else.
Chuck that in for a United side significantly weaker than the one he left in 2009? It makes no sense. Still, when did betting have anything to do with sense? It is hope that drives us. So, excuse me a moment, I am off to the bookies.