And just like that, silence sweeps over Barcelona.
Their rivals Real Madrid, in disarray the past two seasons with managerial switches and questionable signings, turned to the win-at-all costs supremo Florentino Perez to lead the club again. His last time in charge about a decade ago, he brought in one-name wonders Zidane, Ronaldo and Figo.
This week, he has outspent himself twice in a week’s worth of work. Monday it was Kaka for what’s was then a world record $90 mil, beating Zidane’s $77 million price tag. And today, Cristiano Ronaldo, for a new world record of $131 million (plus a salary of $15.7 million over the next five years with a 25% increase each year).
To say Madrid will be unbeatable is an understatement, especially once they begin clicking. That task shouldn’t take long with the unselfish Kaka servicing the goal-hungry Ronaldo as he tears through porous Spanish defenses and the Diarra boys (Mahamadou and Lassana) cleaning up behind them. And they can just as easily pluck midfielder Xabi Alonso from Liverpool by Sunday.
Manchester United is now $131 million richer, but that money will be spent paying an enormous debt. They’ll still have money for a couple of world-class players and some should be spent buying workhouse Carlos Tevez on a permanent basis. But if they play it cheap, the club might end up in a situation similar to when they sold another No. 7 to Madrid: from European pace-setters to playing second-fiddle in England to a London club (then Arsenal, now Chelsea). A younger nucleus (Anderson, Welbeck, Macheda) might help things turn out differently.
The certain loser? Nike. The jewel in their footballing crown, Ronaldo will be wearing Adidas threads in Madrid. And, it could get worse. The footwear giant also could lose Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to an Adidas-based club, as he could be in Madrid by Monday.
Manchester United Accept $131 Million Bid for Cristiano Ronaldo [The Big Lead]
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Nice Devin.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the A-Rod of soccer. And hopefully he’ll win just as many Champions Leagues with Real as A-Rod has World Series with the NYY
Well Ronaldo, has won all the major trophies with Manchester United, so it was inevitable that a new challenge was on the horizon.
As for Kaka, just goes to show that it ain’t all about the money, considering that Manchester City offered $170 million for him earlier in the year, he has opted to go to Real Madrid, him and Ronaldo linking up together, dangerous for the opposition!
Also the dork in me must point out that Zidane’s deal was actually close to CR’s in Euros…the USD aint what it used to be
Man U…700 Mil in debt…and sponsered by AIG! Fuck our world
This was an absolutely crazy announcement today. Caught it earlier and cannot wait to watch them together.(kind of homo in a soccer/football fanatic sort of way)
The downside is I am a red devils fan, and 131 million doesn’t mean shit to me.
Zidane is still the most expensive player in the world, pound for pound, currency exchange fluctuations all taken into the equation and wot not.
Liverpool would be fools to sell Xabi Alonso, dude is a maestro, and I hope he stays at Anfield!
Yooooo, but how can they afford this? I remember reading a few weeks ago if not sooner that Real Madrid was crying broke. And now they’re busting out almost $300 million in transfer fees when the dust settles. Sick!
@El Rosado, Real Madrid are owned by Sony, The Congress of Madrid and The Sultan of Brunai, so money ain’t no thing for them.
ronaldo was out the door since the CL win last year. the goal is hanging on to tevez and getting ribery and perhaps one more winger.
Ribery will cost at £50 million, what’s that in dollars erm $80 million, won’t come cheap.
Now I’m hearing Real Madrid want to buy David Villa too! What the heck? They going all out, just to get even stevens with Barcelona again.
@ BP: Yeah but I read something, I forget what website, but it was fairly recent, and Florentino was talking about how Real Madrid is in debt and was insinuating they may not be able to make big moves during the transfer season. Maybe it was just a bluff. If they get Villa too…daaaaaaaaaaamn!
nice one Devin.
Real are going to generate a lot of income through merchandise anyway.. remember what happened when Beckham came in ? For the ManUtd fans.. believe in Sir Alex..
But i just can’t see Kaka and Ronaldo fit into one team. Its not about the skill, its about which player fits best in which position. Zidane, Figo, Beckham were three of the best midfielders in their prime and they couldnt do shit to win Real trophies.
@El Rosado, definately a bluff, they splashing out like crazy! The mind boggles.
Definitely feel that Ribery is a sound replacement for Ronaldo at United though.
Always been a fan of Arjen Robben too, maybe he would be a good choice too.
@Saket, erm Figo and Zidane, did you forget that remarkable goal that Zidane scored for Real Madrid in the Champions League a few years ago? Here let me remind you….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3m623uGCow
@Saket, erm Figo and Zidane, did you forget that remarkable goal that Zidane scored for Real Madrid in the Champions League a few years ago? Here let me remind you….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3m623uGCow
@Saket, erm Zidane and Figo won the Champions League with Real Madrid, you remember this goal, yes?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3m623uGCow
@Saket, erm Zidane and Figo won the Champions League with Real Madrid, you remember this goal, yes?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3m623uGCow
Devin, I don’t mean to hate, but do you even watch soccer? There’s no way that Real Madrid will be anything close to unbeatable. Who is their defensive midfielder to clean up behind Kaka, CR7, etc?
Don’t worry, I’ll wait (c) Katt.
Not only that, three of their four starting defenders have quite the knack for going forward, leaving Casillas to fend for himself. Real has still never replaced losing Makelele all those years ago, and have been paying for it ever since. Once they failed to sign Patrick Viera, the center of their midfield has been lacking a true defensive force that can keep the pressure off.
I’m not a Barcelona fan any more than I am a Madrid fan, but its beyond inconceivable to say that Madrid will be “unbeatable”. They can sign Villa and Zlatan for all I care. Until they sign De Rossi or Essien or even Marcos fucking Senna, then they will lose every game 5-4.
/rant
Devin, I don’t mean to hate, but do you even watch soccer?
==============
I don’t know much about soccer but I do know Devin is the only black person i know, not from the islands, who lives soccer lol.
These two plus Zlatan? Gonna be raining goals in Madrid next season.
For anyone who actually follows soccer, could you imagine two teammates with such different lifestyles than Kaka and Cristiano? One’s married to his sweetheart, and the other is out getting hookers all night long. This is gonna be awesome!
Paw, the thing that matters is, Real didn’t win enough trophies after 2002. Atleast not what you’d expect from a side having so much talent. Owen, Beckham were wasted to name a few.
@Saket, agree on that point wholeheartedly, a key example of how money can’t buy you success.
Michael Owen’s career crumbled once he went to Real Madrid, wrong move.
oh ya, im not taking anything away from Zidane. He was a class act at Real. What i meant was, Real have always concentrated on bringing in big players instead of building a collective unit.
i’m loving the futbol talk on TSS.. TSS is global.
@Saket, agree again, Chelsea seem to think they can do the same, just sign in the big names and the trophies shall follow, not true.
It’s a mouth watering prospect that Real are signing all these players, but whether they will gel together is a different issue.
Manchester City is another one, they will splash out major cash with not much to show in the end.
Whereas Manchester United, prudent signings and Sir Alex, knows exactly what to do to get the best out of his players.
I believe it is the teams that nurture their players that enjoy good success in the long run. Liverpool, maybe? Too much chopping and changing by Rafa, and Arsenal, possible dark horses.
I think there is something waiting in the shadows as well in terms of the Italian teams and something is a brewing with Bayern Munich too.
But the money being spent is ridiculous, beyond ridiculous, what happens when the American Business Tycoons, Arab Sheikhs and Russian Billionaires all walk away?
Thank fuck he’s pissed off from England. He was on the TV every fucking day and he’s an absolute cunt. Sick of the sight of him so I’m glad he’s gone to Spain.
Funny thing is, even with Kaka and Ronaldo Real Madrid will still struggle to catch up with Barca simply because of the way Barca play as a unit.
@Baby Paw
I don’t see anything coming from Italy accept a mass exodus.
Man U won’t be the same for a long time. They’ll be lucky if they lock down Tevez, too.
And it looks like everyone is going to have a new favorite team when the next Fifa game comes out.
Paw, you’re so right. Real and Chelsea are so hungry for trophies. What could be a valid excuse to sack Mourinho ? The same goes with Carlos Queiroz and Real. Platini has always shown hate towards the English clubs for spending mad money on the players. I’d like to see what he says about Real’s spending spree.
I don’t know much about soccer but I do know Devin is the only black person i know, not from the islands, who lives soccer lol.
———–
Devin Chanda sounded like an Indian name to me at first?
I need that AIG jersey.
I’d rock that shit to work on Casual Friday just to push buttons, lol
@Sean, I dunno man something is a brewing over at the San Siro, both AC Milan & Inter Milan got a few aces up their sleeves. Think they will suprise a few heads next season.
@Saket, sacking Mourinho was the wrong move indeed, dude might be arrogant, but no denying his abilities as a manager.
Platini got some kind of agenda against the English Premier League for sure, he won’t say jack shit about the Real spree. Some of his policies, like cutting back the number of teams in the Champions League sucks! I tip my hat to him as a player, he was awesome, but once you become a suit for UEFA or FIFA or whatever, you turn into some kind of zombie!
I think he has a fear that the Premier League will be all dominant, across Europe and the World. He won’t be too pleased about the takeovers of Sunderland and Portsmouth either.
He wants parity across the various Leagues across Europe, but I think his head is in cloud cuckoo land with this agenda of his.
@Baby Paw
I’m not convinced. Especially if Pato bolts to Chelsea, I think ACM are in for some serious hard times. Adebayor is definitely not the answer.
Inter might be okay. Zlatan says he knows where he’s playing next year, whatever that means. Balotelli is a bitch, but a hell of a player.
Juventus looks better now that they signed Diego, but they need more. Had they gotten Xabi Alonso when they got the chance, they’d be sitting a lot prettier. Instead, they are stuck with Sissoko….. Giovinco is a baws though.
Lol, word. You must’ve seen that bastard’s glad face after Barca won the Champions League. There is no doubt that he fears the English domination in European football. 3 English teams in 2 consecutive Champions League semifinals? But I don’t give a shit about the Real or Chelsea spree.. I just want ManUtd to keep winning trophies like they always have. Who do u support ?
@Sean, if Pato does jet to Chelsea, then that is a blow indeed. I’ve read the paper talk, but at the moment Chelsea are being linked to every other big name player. Adebayor, hmm, dunno, however, if Anelka becomes available I think AC Milan should pounce!
Inter will improve, after all they have the ‘special one’ at the helm. :P
Juve, oh man that Diego is a class act, seen some of his performances for Werder Bremen, awesome talent, just needs to keep a cool head though, I’ve seen him get a bit heated at times.
Xabi Alonso is the man, I’ll say it again Liverpool will be fools to let him go.
I’m hearing rumours about Trezeguet possibly being on the move too. Please come to the Premier League, fella! :)
@Baby Paw
As a Juve fan, I would love nothing more than to see Trez out, and Benzema in. The. Kid. Can. Play.
@Saket, I support Liverpool. Guess that pretty much makes us sworn enemies since you support Man Utd! :)
Yeah, the look on Platini’s face was blatent, if dude wants to do something worthwhile, he should bring back the UEFA Cup and Cup Winners Cup in the straight forward knock out format of old. It was so much better then, so many memorable moments, teams and players, but now we got this Europa League thing? WTF? That is like a second tier Champions League, it’s not fun at all.
@Sean, Karim Benzema is a class act, won’t come cheap though, maybe even more expensive than Cristiano Ronaldo? Either way Lyon will be in for a bumper pay day when they finally sell him.
You guys lose.
‘Michel Platini and Gerry Sutcliffe hit out at Ronaldo transfer fee’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/jun/11/cristiano-ronaldo-80m-michel-platini-gerry-sutcliffe
@ Sean
no defensive midfielders in madrid? read the post fam. once mahamadou heals up and lassana gets comfortable, they’ll just sit back and destroy since there’s no need to push forward. people forget that lyon was still somewhat relevant after essien left. its when diarra left that shit completely hit the fan.
@Gotty
I’m from Guyana so I could qualify as being from “the islands” depending how you look at it
http://www.karmaloop.com
USE REP CODE ‘EA10273′ TO GET 20% OFF
@devgusto
We’ll see. I think Gago is better than both of them, but none of the three are world class. Yet.
No offense, but Devin’s analysis is basura. I’m pretty sure Madrid tried this same shit with limited success in the past and Barca weren’t nearly as good then as they are now. It ain’t like the teams are going to be comparing check books on the pitch. Utter gash.
Man I swear I’m always away for my computer for hours when y’all start talkin about soccer.
For what it’s worth, *throws 2 cents vainly*
The “Zidanes and Pavons” approach was tried by Real Madrid before when they tried to balance attacking superstars with homegrown or more modest defenders and role players. It worked for one year with Zidane’s magic, but it’s not necessarily a tried and true approach. Zidane was a once-in-a-lifetime talent, and it has yet to be proven whether or not CR7 and Kaká will be able to function in the same side.
Add that to the fact that Real’s defense is leakier than MC Hammer’s pockets, and the little issue that Gabriel Heinze is (foreseeably) still in the starting lineup, then there are still serious problems to be sorted.
*Hands soapbox to next guy*
And as always, forza Juventus per sempre!!
PS: @Sean, it’s good to see a fellow Juventino ’round here. The Scudetto is ours next year.
Arsenal for the Double in the EPL and a possible run for the Treble. And that’s if we keep Ade or not. The difference maker will be how the defense shakes out. I have the feeling that a minor signing will reap some major dividends.
ManU won’t recover from this one but they will be a good team for sometime to come. Chelski will be wishing they had another manager come Christmas.
Liverpool will suffer because a certain high profile forward will start the whispers of wanting to compete against the best and will feel that England isn’t the place to be anymore. That and a loss of form/injury to the talisman that is Stevie G.
Man City is just not ever going to be a threat until Hughes is gone.. Aston Villa and Everton can’t afford the players to close the gap.
TSS is major global….anyone else remember that vid of him and the two hookers and that huge bag of blow?
It was the right thing for Man United to sell Ronaldo.
they need to strengthen their squad badly, and maybe Rooney will be played in his natural role now that CR7 has been sold.
Obviously they’re gonna have to find the goals somewhere, because the current front liine minus Ronaldo really scored fuck-all this season.
the midfield was horribly exposed in the CL final, but i think that was more down to terrible tactics than the players on the field. you dont try and outplay Barca at their natural game.
Arsenal still need to buy a solid DM to be competitive, Denilson is improving rapidly but he just doesn’t have the steel in him that Flamini had, Song is still developing and he is a better CM than DM, and Diaby, well he needs to learn when to pass the ball instead of beating two men and then taking on another two and losing the ball.
Arshavin now being available in the CL is going to be a MASSIVE bonus for the squad, and the return of Rosicky will be like getting a new signing, here’s hoping (as a gooner myself) that he doesn’t get crocked this coming season.
with the emergence of Walcott as a potent attacking force and RvP back to his best, I really think Arsenal have a great chance to win a trophy or two (maybe 3!) this coming season.
I do think that Adebayor needs to be sold, he’s grossly overrated and a decent target man ala Eduardo will definitely convert all the simple misses that Ade always seems to do every game.
All Arsenal needs is a tall CB with some aerial ability (not sure about this Vermaelens bloke from Ajax, he’s something like 5ft 8) and a solid defensive midfielder to cover Fabregas so he can conduct his magic further up the pitch.
a few more squad players wouldn’t hurt for rotation, but our youth team is the best in the country and players like Gibbs, Wilshere, Vela and Ramsey are exceptional talents and i expect they will be blooded even more this coming season.
things are looking good!
Cristiano is the greatest player in the world!