$131 million for biggest soccer tranfer in history

[pavyracer]

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_ylt=AkWP33LN5nMgLX0flay2ipomw7YF?slug=ap-realmadrid-ronaldo&prov=ap&type=lgns

Real Madrid just paid a $131 million tranfer fee to Manchester Utd for 24 year old Cristiano Ronaldo. This money is on top of his $10 million a year salary.

I believe Man Utd bought him for less than $5 million when he was a 17 year old teenager in Portugal.

This is like hitting the sports jackpot.

[GonzagaPlayer]

i think they are in debt too. 131 english money its like 230 something in us dollars. i believe. they will be unstoppable with kaka too

[lakerboy]

as an arsenal fan im glad the bastard is out of the premier league- now i just hope we dont draw real in champs league. he is an attitude case and man u was smart getting rid of him. best business move they made.

[englishmike]

That's crazy money and good buisness for Man Utd.

Pavy, do you remember when Malcolm Glazer took over Man Utd and the fans had a riot in the streets and then started their own club from scratch, FC United....watch this video, they hate Glazer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epqG_OWS-28

'Strippers and whores when Glazer dies,' unreal.

[englishmike]

By the way Paves, watch what Fergie does with the money, Man utd will be as good as ever.

[GonzagaPlayer]

real madrid is going to play the seattle sounders and so is chelsea. so i can't wait. yayaya! only like 60 bucks for decent seats

[tacomax]

I believe Man Utd bought him for less than $5 million when he was a 17 year old teenager in Portugal.

He cost about $20 million when they bought him.

[tacomax]

By the way Paves, watch what Fergie does with the money, Man utd will be as good as ever.

Juan Verón

[pavyracer]

He cost about $20 million when they bought him.

I didn't remember from back then but it's still a $111 million profit in 7 years.

[pavyracer]

By the way Paves, watch what Fergie does with the money, Man utd will be as good as ever.

Fergie is smart. He will build the best team in Europe again. For some reason he doesn't get along with Latin players. He got rid of Ronaldo, Tevez and before Veron and Heinze.

[englishmike]

He's probably the best player in the world when you take into account his all round contribution. He can score at any give time and is a dead ball specialist who can also score penalties. Apart from tracking back he's one of the most complete players there is, he'll do well at Real although I do wonder if Kaka and Ronaldo in the same team will work, Ronaldo likes to roam and it's possible they could be tripping over each other.

[RichardMoss]

Watch video and decide by yourself if he's worth it or not.

[englishmike]

I don't doubt he's worth it via his contribution but whther he's worth it finacially to Real madrid is another debate.

[RogueJuror]

Another Galacticos era. Florentino could have had Kaka for $10m USD out of Sao Paulo and C Ronaldo for even less back when their best was ahead of them and not in the past like now.

[tacomax]

He's probably the best player in the world when you take into account his all round contribution.

And he's that good that ManU need two players to replace him and whatever players they sign are going to have a very inflated value. With Van der Sar, Giggs and Neville past their prime and their best player gone, it's the ripe time for Fergie to call it a day.

[englishmike]

I disagree Taco. Fergie shows why he's the best manager in the world when everyone says his time is up. He'll thrive on this.

[alanisds]

they are exaggerated and they ruin sport

[RichardMoss]

Zidane, Kaká and Figo, all of them were acquired by Real Madrid under the presidency of Florentino Pérez. The Portuguese will cost 94 million euros, but the white president has repeated that the model is profitable.
' I paid for Zidane 73 million euros and it was the cheapest enroll that I did, because the income of the club multiplied immediately by four ', he has said in several occasions. Florentino Pérez insists that to bring the best players of the world is the only possible way in which Madrid can compete with teams that are a property of magnates and not of his associates.

[Karayilan9]

In my opinion this transfer was bad for Man U and Real Madrid, Ronaldo is one of the best players in the world today but it was Fergie who molded him into what he is today and he has such a big ego that he needs a tough guy like Alex to keep him and the team in order.

Too many big egos at a club is not always a recipe for success, Real have too many players now who had already become "made men" at another club. They were the top players on their own team and may find it hard to cope with not being the main star. Real are desperate for success and trying to buy themselves out of a hole and not getting any value as a result. In betting terms there recent transfers are like missing out on a +1000 line and instead going in huge on a -500. Its a big gamble and in my opinion they won't be able to play like Barcalona next season because Barca are a real team, they flow and play together as if they are all part of the same body being controlled by a genius brain.

Man U are also in a spot of trouble because there going to have to build half a new team, Ronaldo is gone, looks like Tevez will be, Giggs and Scholes are nearing retirement. The defense is still intact and world class but they have to match that on the offensive front. I'm sure Fergie knows this better than all of us and it would be nice to see him build another great team but time its going to be harder, you can't compare Ronaldo to Veron, Heinze or any of these over hyped players who didn't produce.

The EPL and Spanish League is going to get very interesting over the summer with all the transfers, we could get a few huge transfers from the likes of Man City and Portsmouth too, there is HUGE amounts of money being. pouring into those clubs

[lakerboy]

The balance of power shifted to the LA Liga when Barcelona destroyed Man U. It hasnt stopped since and it isnt going to for a while. Man u was due for a off year coming up now they have an excuse and money in the wallet. In a recession once again Man u came out winners.

[Squirrel]

Manchester United need to use the Ronaldo cash to build an entire midfield. They got by because of the poor standard of most teams in the premier league, but in the Champions League final they were destroyed in the midfield by Iniesta and Xavi. Chelsea showed in the semis that if you beat Barce in the midfield then you win the game (unless the ref is bent) but Man Utds old midfield could not keep up. Anderson is an absolute joke who disapeears for weeks on end, while Scholes is obviously getting on a bit. They need to invest the cash in some "kickers" in the middle to win the ball and make things tick.

So far as Ronaldo is concerned they'll find someone to play his position, Fergie always does. Ronaldo showed all season that he wasnt interested in playng for Man Utd anymore and did absolutely NOTHING against any of the big teams over the course of the season. To write them off next season though would be foolish. Remember, everyone said they would decline and struggle for goals when Van Nistelrooy left....

[BrimLow]

As much as I hate to agree with Englishman, who by the way play the driest type of soccer on the planet...Real is ruining the game and becoming the Yankees

[noibrainer]

Lots of cash. WIsh I was worth that much

Then again Real is one of the richest clubs

[englishmike]

they are exaggerated and they ruin sport

Could you let me know when you've decoded this.

Regards.

[englishmike]

So far as Ronaldo is concerned they'll find someone to play his position, Fergie always does. Ronaldo showed all season that he wasnt interested in playng for Man Utd anymore and did absolutely NOTHING against any of the big teams over the course of the season. To write them off next season though would be foolish. Remember, everyone said they would decline and struggle for goals when Van Nistelrooy left....

Good stuff and pretty accurate.

People need to rrealise Ferguson now has 100M pounds or $140M

[BrimLow]

Man U is not going anywhere. The core is still very strong though the age is showing with Giggs and Scholesy in the midfield. I think they need to pick up one more playmaker in the mid. Xavi made the difference in the championship game imo.

[Slim]

Ronaldo is real good but why does Portugal look like they won't even qualify for the world cup?

[englishmike]

Because they have a team of eleven individuals.

[Karayilan9]

Slim
Ronaldo is real good but why does Portugal look like they won't even qualify for the world cup?

One of the most common and biggest mistakes in Football/Soccer handicapping is taking a team because they have a big reputation and a superstar. Portugal have been a team to fade for a while, Ronaldo is great but has an ego so big his head barely fits into the stadium. World class managers like Ferguson know how to deal with these kind of players and bring them back down to Earth. But a manager that shows weakness will get taken for a mug by egomaniacs like Ronaldo who thinks he owns the team. Portugal arn't playing great as a team, arn't being managed well and have weaknesses like not having many strong strikers who can convert chances which is a big problem due to the style they play.

Ronaldo is a world class player but needs a world class manager to show him who is boss, this is why I think his transfer to Real may not be as great as is being hyped up.

[Dark Horse]

Of course this will be great for Real Madrid. Ronaldo and Kaka on the same team?! Two very intuitive players. Just wait for them to get the feel for each other, and there will be absolute magic.

This is Real reacting to being humiliated by Barca. I'm just wondering what's going to happen to the other Real players. It's not like they had nobody at those positions. I could think of two guys from the Dutch national team (Robben and Sneyder) who could be affected by this.

The transfer also reunites Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy. Interesting stuff.

On 9 May 2006, Setanta Sports reported that Van Nistelrooy's exclusion from the squad was due to a training session fight between him and team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo. Van Nistelrooy allegedly criticised Ronaldo's tendency to hold onto the ball instead of passing to his team-mates, which sparked the fight, after which Van Nistelrooy remarked, "Go crying to your daddy." The article claimed that this was not a reference to Ronaldo's father (who had died earlier in the season), but to United's Portuguese assistant coach, Carlos Queiroz.[6]

Van Nistelrooy signed with Spanish side Real Madrid on 28 July 2006, departing Manchester United after five seasons with a total of 150 goals in 220 appearances, as well as the club's all-time European scoring record with 38 goals.

As to Madrid becoming the Yankees, money destroyed European soccer quite some time ago. There are now only a few teams that have a shot at winning the CL. If you're not in Spain, Italy, or England, forget it.

[pavyracer]

Dark Horse,

I doubt Van Nistelrooy stays in Real. They are trying to unload him to another team. I don't know how Kaka and Ronaldo will work together. Completely different styles. As you can see with the Yankees Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira playing together in the same team isn't working out right now.

[Dark Horse]

Van Nistelrooy could be on his way to the Spurs. Wow.

Kaka and Ronaldo are too intuitive not to understand each other. The Ronaldo from a few years ago may have been a different story, but not at this age. This is a dream duo. (still depends on the coach to get the whole team on the same page)

[Wilforth]

All that money won't translate into success on the pitch! Real will neither win La Liga nor the Champions League next season. The rest of the Real players will be pissed off by all the hype around Ronaldo and Kaka. Too many egos in one team hardly leads to success! I will load $100,000 into my account this August and fade Real throughought the season. Fading them will start attracting ridiculous lines in the range of +500 to +2000 depending on who they play.

[jayc88]

All that money won't translate into success on the pitch! Real will neither win La Liga nor the Champions League next season. The rest of the Real players will be pissed off by all the hype around Ronaldo and Kaka. Too many egos in one team hardly leads to success! I will load $100,000 into my account this August and fade Real throughought the season. Fading them will start attracting ridiculous lines in the range of +500 to +2000 depending on who they play.

i'm going to use the 500 000 usd i've won fading your plays over the last year and put it all on real to win it all next season
thx willforth

[SSLP]

I do not agree with most of the comments on this transfer.

A duo of Kaka and Ronaldo if coordinated right can turn into a real threat to defenses.

Ronaldo likes to wander around and is literally all over the pitch and on the attacking part they can really click both can shoot from anywere and score from anywere and their short pass speed is at the top.


People always say a team filled with superstars has alot of egos but a good manager can handle this.

This is BS every guy that players pro soccer in europe has a big head even if he is in the bench .

131 million is alot of money but the stadium will be packed and the shirts will be flying off the stores .

Real needed 2 guys like these. And now that they have them I think if Ronaldo and Kaka and get on the same page and work with each other we are in for treat .

Dont forget Robben as well .. now we are talking about an attacke with 3 different styles 3 of the best in the world .

This is not like the beckham / zidane era in real this is wayyy better in my opinion.

4 names

Robben
Kaka
Ronaldo
Van Nistelrooy


wtf is there to fade in that ?



I hate barcelona and leo messi and watching these 2 play is going t be somewhat of a dream come true