If anyone thought the reason that Cristiano Ronaldo was ‘unhappy‘ earlier this season because of anything other than money, the timing of his statement that everything is alright within the club so adjacent to the news that Real Madrid will be offering him a new, improved contract, the truth has been revealed.
All the rumors about not getting along with certain players in the dressing room; about the Portuguese vs Spanish camps within the club; falling out with Jose Mourinho after a certain match. All that doesn’t matter. Real Madrid will be offering Ronaldo an extension worth €15 million a season up until 2018, when he’ll be 33, instead of the measly €10.5 million he’s making right now.
Ronaldo has one of the most powerful agents in the world working for him, Jorge Mendes, who also represents José Mourinho, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Simão Sabrosa, Anderson, Fábio Coentrão, Pepe and Ángel Di María among others. Getting his clients (like Jose Mourinho looking for a house in England) to pull of these kind of public antics, like Ronaldo declaring he’s sad or whatever, not willing to reveal the reason why (Really, for some players not supporting him in his bid to win the Balon d’Or?!) isn’t something new.
Ronaldo is one of the two best players in the world, playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world. In truth, he should be paid accordingly. But to create all this drama in a difficult season for Real Madrid wasn’t exactly thinking about the team and doing his best for the benefit of the team. It was putting his own needs first, which is perfectly fair, but it’s a tad hypocritical when you claim otherwise.
Yes, something has changed because I am doing what I like, which is playing football and I feel very good on the field and with my team-mates. Maybe I have also changed my way of thinking and being. At this moment I feel better than I did then.
I am not going to talk much about that, because the truth is that for me the most important thing, what is in my head and my aims, is that Madrid wins the Champions League and the Copa del Rey. The contract renewal is a subject I do not want to talk about. It does not concern me now. The only important thing now is the team and we will speak at the end of the season. I swear by my son that my ‘unhappiness’ was never a question of money. It was not.
The goals are coming in the same rate, the wins, draws and losses are coming at the same rate. Real Madrid are further away from winning a title and not playing much better except for a few glimpses of the real talent here and there. Nothing has changed except for Jose Mourinho being closer to a new job at a different location with another club, and Ronaldo getting the contract offer he thought he deserves, and was worth showing the world just how ‘unhappy’ he was.