The only thing true about the transfer rumors regarding Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Real Madrid to Manchester United is that the English fans would love to have him. Other than that, it’s simply the work of imagination, publication and fabrication by the media.
This is how most of the transfer rumors work: A media outlet thinks about whether a player moving to a certain team makes sense or not in terms of position, money and caliber. If the factors fit into the equation, the story runs, becoming huge news on a worldwide level. From that point, other outlets pick the item up and it becomes an issue the clubs being mentioned can’t ignore. Sometimes I’m pretty sure teams get their ideas from the rumors circulating.
Cristiano Ronaldo has already answered once or twice that right now, he doesn’t see himself playing for Manchester United again, and his future is with Real Madrid. Maybe when Alex Ferguson was still in charge while Ronaldo was having his issues with Jose Mourinho, that would have been something worth considering. Now? It just seems like an annual thing to do, especially as Manchester United are struggling for the second straight season coping without their bigger-than-the-club legendary manager.
Why aren’t these rumors flying around when it comes to Lionel Messi? Firstly, Messi never seems like he’s unhappy. He never seems too happy as well, but for the most part, his connection with Barcelona seems to have been rock solid, with no one actually doubting it. His release fee and Barcelona’s status in the world of football over the last six seasons makes it seem almost impossible to even consider Messi playing for someone else.
Ronaldo is more interesting. Messi might be the better player, but he just doesn’t generate the love-hate thing that has been surrounding Ronaldo since the first day he stepped on a Premier League pitch. Ronaldo looks frustrated or elated, sometimes in a matter of minutes. He seems to be scolding at his teammates. He dives, he cheats, he looks like he lives for the game he plays. He generates emotions unseen in Messi, who keeps things bottled inside, releasing it only when he throws up. It’s better news – more clicks, more reads, when putting Ronaldo in the headline of a transfer rumor story.
But while some Manchester United fans elected to spend money on flying a plane with a sign over the stadium Real Madrid playing against Villarreal in, it was a waste of money. Maybe Ronaldo is too much of a nice guy to give Red Devils fans a blunt no, but there’s no chance of him coming back in the near future, and although Manchester United have been spending like mad men this summer, it’s not likely they even made a move in his direction.