Ronaldo Stunner: I'm Joining Madrid

The longest transfer saga of the summer is apparently in its closing stages.

Crisitiano Ronaldo has blatantly said that he is going to join Real Madrid this summer. Spainish newspaper 'AS' has quoted Ronaldo as saying, "Everything is fine. Next week I will return to England and tell them [Manchester United] that my only desire is to play for Real Madrid and that I will not negotiate."

Ronaldo is currently recuperating in Portugal after having undergone a surgery.

According to reports the talented winger will hold a meeting with Sir Alex and the owners of Manchester United next Tuesday, to tell them he wants out.

Should he arrive at the Bernabéu, it will be interesting to see how he will be received, it is said that the players are tired of rumors of his arrival. Some players like Gago and Higuain have reportedly said they have no problem with Ronaldo's arrival, while others like Sneijder aren't really too keen.

So what do you think? Will Ronaldo be a help or a hindrance to Madrid? I personally am of the opinion that he is by far more important to Manchester United than he will be for Real Madrid.

Tevez To Become England's Record Breaking Signing

According to reports Manchester United will pay Media Sports Investment, the Kia Joorabchian firm that owns Tevez's rights a record fee of around 32 million euros to gain full ownership of the player.

Tevez along with Javier Mascherano were both brought to West Ham by the firm in a third-party move. West Ham was subsequently fined by the Premier League 5.5 million euros for not disclosing the details of the players' contracts. The Premier League FA has also stated that this will be the last time that a player is allowed to join a Premier League club under a third-party agreement.

Tevez moved to Manchester United on a two-year loan deal which runs out next summer. Manchester had the option of closing a permanent deal for the player, but has opted to wait despite the player's appeal for a permanent deal.

Now that talks have reopened with MSI, a fee has been agreed that will surpass that of the 30.6 million euros that Chelsea payed Milan in 2006 to bring Shevchenko to Stanford Bridge, making Tevez the most expensive player in English history.

I believe the fee is correct because Tevez is easily the best player in the Premier League currently. I strongly believe that if he wasn't being used so sparingly by Sir Alex that he would have easily surpassed Ronaldo's goal tally. Tevez scored 19 goals while starting the majority of his games on the bench, scoring more than Wayne Rooney who started, justifying my reason why he should be starting.

It is yet to be seen if Manchester will pay the fee this summer or when Tevez's loan deal runs out.

Barca Interested In Berbatov

Barcelona is still in the hunt for a new striker having told Samuel Eto'o that his services are no longer needed at the club. Eto'o has been shockingly linked to a move to a club in Uzbekistan, where they are said to offer him a huge contract, worth around 40 million euros to play for 3 to 6 months in the Asian Champions League.

Barca were originally after Adebayor, but Arsenal has become stubborn and has valued the player at about 36 million euros, a fee which the Catalan club is not prepared to meet. So with Adebayor out of the picture, it seems that Barca has set their sights on signing Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham.

I have always been a fan of Berbatov since his move to the Premier League. He quickly emerged as one of the top strikers in England for his strength and delicate touch of the ball. I think he would be a good replacement for Eto'o, though I would hate to see the Cameroon international leave.

Berbatov is valued at around 25 million euros, a fee Barca wouldn't have any problems paying.

Though Berbatov is thought to be keen to move to Manchester United, it is believed he would welcome a move to the Nou Camp, and Juande Ramos could very well welcome the offer in order to snub his rivals.

Ronaldo Agrees With Sepp Blatter

Following reports of Fifa President, Sepp Blatter's comments of Manchester United practicing modern day slavery in the case of Cristiano Ronaldo, who wants to leave Old Trafford this summer for Real Madrid. Ronald has been said to have agreed with Blatter's comments.
Blatter's comments were made because United are said to be so keen to keep the player, that they would even drop him to the reserves rather than sell him for his disloyalty.
The interview in which Ronaldo stated these comments, are set to be aired this evening at 2000 BST on Portuguese station TVI.
Blatter is right and Ronaldo is right, I'm a fan of neither of these teams but United is being rather unreasonable. If a player has a desire to leave a club, which he has won practically every competition there is to win and given all that he can, why not respect his wishes to move on. After all he's given Manchester United everything. Don't you think?

Cristiano Ronaldo breaks silence

Ah yes, Cristiano has finally broken the silence on his future by declaring that he desires to play for Madrid. The gifted winger also stated that nothing was up to him and that he will move if Madrid pays him and United the money they stated they would offer. He also said that he will not be speaking about the matter again when asked.
This comes as no surprise to me, although it may be a shock to some Manchester fans. I mean, come on folks let's be realistic about this thing, Manchester United and Real Madrid are on two different levels, with the latter being more prestigious. I know many people will have their various opinions on this matter but this is the truth.
Going to Madrid will mean more money for Ronaldo but not necessarily more playing time. Madrid is a club who doesn't care who you are, you have to prove your worth and fight for your spot. Even club favorite Raul has to do it. For Ronaldo that should not be a hindrance but an opportunity to prove himself and show that he is up to the challenge. That is what makes great players great.
The coming weeks will definitely be interesting now that Ronaldo has declared that he wants to move. The owners and officials at Manchester are rather defensive in their stance to keep the player by threating to report Real Madrid to Fifa. As a result Madrid's president Ramón Calderón made an offical announcement stating that he nor the club does not wish to buy a player, if the club does not want to sell and that Real Madrid was not about to damage the relationship that they have with Manchester United. Let's see if he sticks to his words.
Personally I believe that if a player wants to leave a club there is no sense in trying to keep him. If he really wants to leave and you insist he stays and be stubborn, like the Glazer family, owners of Manchester United have been acting, the player can react to the club in the same way and choose not to give his best performances to the club. In my opinion it does more harm than help, but I really can't blame United for wanted to keep their best player. If he does leave they will be left with a huge hole to fill.

Cristiano Ronaldo to decide future

With the conclusion of the Champions League and with him significantly helping his team win the title, there is a buzz in the air about what's next for Ronaldo. Will he stay and continue to help Manchester win titles or will he be tempted into a move to Real Madrid who are reported to have lined up a record fee of 100 million pounds for the Portuguese winger.
Ronaldo has declared to the media that he can't make any promises to anyone as he claims he does not know what the future holds. From the looks of things no one knows but obviously Ronaldo is tempted to test other waters. If Ronaldo indeed leaves Manchester we could be in for another burst up between Sir Alex Ferguson and one of his top players, as we have seen it in the past with David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy. I personally can't blame Fergie for wanting to keep his most talented player, but we all know in the world of football anything can happen and ultimately money talks.
Ronaldo needs to think hard and long about this decision because a move to Madrid can have serious consequences for his career. Moving to Real Madrid is a big decision for any player as some of the world's best players play there, failure to perform could result in an action which I know Ronaldo would not be too pleased about, it's called being benched. Ronaldo never gets benched at United and I know it is an issue he will personally struggle with if he moves. However it is hard to believe they would bench a player after paying such a hefty price, but this is Real Madrid all they care about is results and they will play whoever can help them achieve their goal.
Ronaldo however has stated in the media today that he is very happy at United and that he loves the fans, the people at the club and that he wants to stay, also with Sir Alex being very stubborn about the whole situation my guess is that Ronaldo will stay at Manchester United and I personally believe that is what's best for his career at the moment.

Champions League Final: Preview

Hi there football fans! Tomorrow is the Champions League Final!!!! Aren't u guys excited? I hope you are, as I know I will be looking forward to a pretty entertaining game with many twist and turns, or maybe it will be a dull game as both these teams are use to playing each other in the English Premier League but let's hope for the best.
Let's begin by talking about Manchester United who for many people will be the favorites to win this one. Christiano Ronaldo has apparently pumped himself for this game by declaring before the media when asked about his poor performances in big matches, that he is the best. One would think twice before disputing his comments but isn't it a little too early to be saying stuff like that? I mean you haven't even won the Champions League yet. I guess it's just his way of coping with the pressure ahead of him. Let's hope for his sake he doesn't miss another penalty like he did against Barcelona.
Next up Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea, who would have thought they would have made it to the Champions League final without the "Special One", Jose Mourinho. I must say Chelsea have proved their worth this season as they have defied the odds by eliminating Liverpool, the team that knocked them out last season and so many times before. Furthermore much credit must be given to a man that who from the beginning received none, Avam Grant. A coach that no one has ever heard of before has silenced his critics by pressing Man. United for the title in the Premiership and giving the team a birth in the Champions League. Let's hope he can bring home the title for the club and continue to earn the respect of the fans, critics and even the authorities at Chelsea, who have admitted they didn't expect him to do so well.
I hope to see some good football tomorrow, with two teams out there giving it their all. Even though I'm not a fan of either of these clubs, I am a man who loves football and I enjoy the passion the fans, especially in England have for their clubs. I expect tomorrow to see big performances by Tevez for Manchester and by Drogba and Ballack for Chelsea. Some of you may wonder why I haven't mentioned Cristiano Ronaldo to peform big in this one, well I'll answer that by saying I'm judging him based on past performances in big matches. Let's hope for the sake of the Manchester fans he shows up.