Thought Crimes

The top story in sporting cliques these days is all the guesswork and speculation regarding Christiano Ronaldo. Will he move to Madrid? Won’t he? Why should he? Why should he not? What he gains and what he loses? They just keep on coming. Why then, I thought, should I not join the bandwagon. Keep reading to glimpse my take- thoroughly amateur and what could easily be optimistic gibberish.

The way I look at it, Ronaldo is definitely going to Madrid. As a cousin of mine who’s also a Real supporter told me a couple of months ago- “I hope United win the Champion’s League. Then there would be no further initiative for Ronny to stay on and he’ll come to Madrid.” It makes a lot of sense. Ronaldo has had a dream run this season. His purple patch can’t turn a more perfect shade of purple. And it’s always best to go out on top. He might have the fear of being booted out (literally in Beckham’s case and figuratively in Keane’s) by the sacred SAF, thought the Gaffer has always been firmly behind him. Ronny’s recent interviews also indicate that much. And for all the talk of his manager advising him to stay on and his mommy insisting he’s not going anywhere, balderdash is what I say. When you’re at that level, you don’t listen to your manager or your mom.

Secondly, as long as he stays at United, Ronaldo will know that the club is always greater than the player. It’s that way for us Red Devils. Even the great David Beckham couldn’t take supporters with him to Madrid. Here at United, you’re a great glittering jewel, but you’re part of the crown. Take yours truly for example. I’m a Man U fan first, a Scholes fan second, a Giggs fan third and so on. Its not that way for Madrid. They play with their Galacticos. It’s always been like that- right from the days of De Stefano and Puskas to those of Figo and Zidane. The motives for buying the big names may be different. As I read in a book on Beckham’s transfer once- Figo was bought to annoy Barca, Zidane for purely footballing reasons, Ronaldo to cement the Galacticos brand and now Beckham to sell shirts in Asia and to add that extra glitter. In the Royals’ crown, the jewels are often so big and bright that you forget there was a crown in the first place.

Moreover, getting wooed by Real is a huge status symbol for any footballer. It’s like dating the hottest cheerleader in school. You announce to the world that you’re the star quarterback. The Galactico of the day- that’s got to mean something. And Ronny being from Portugal might even consider it on grounds of moving to a country that is most similar to his. Iberian sisters I ask you- what more similarity could he want? He’s had a great stint at United, he’ll be missed, but it’s a great challenge for him. One wants to play along the most glamorous footballers of the day, and he’ll be doing just that.

For United also, I would say the move makes a lot of sense. You’ve got to realize that if not today then tomorrow you’ll be searching for a new no. 7. So better do it now when Real are really hungry for him. And they are. The Galacticos they generally buy are either pushing 30 or on the wrong side of it. Our Ronny is not even 25. If they’re willing to pay 75 million dollars, take it I say. Take it with both hands. It’ll be a pity if Ronaldo doesn’t play this well next season and we have to sell him for lesser. And now that there’s a real prospect of his leaving United, I can shed the rose-tinted glasses I used to watch him with and admit a few home-truths. While I admire him tremendously as a player, one has to admit that he’s selfish. Despite the Champion’s League final goal, he tends to buckle under pressure and you get the feeling that he leaves a lot to be desired in the big games. And Ronny is a diver. He has less integrity that most other footballers even though he’s cut down a lot. One can’t forget that it was Ronaldo who pleaded with the Ref to give Rooney, his club partner, a yellow card in the bad-tempered Euro 2004 quarter against England and was then caught winking towards the camera. But of course, when he scores 42 (see. Again) goals for you in one season, all this goes to the wall.

So now we come to the question of who will take his place. Nani is not half as good now. He might improve but not being too fond of him, I have my reservations. He’s pretty good, and will definitely get better, but I don’t see him as a successor to the jersey that has been adorned by Cantonna, Becks and Ronny. The guy I have my eye on however, is I think. I’ve had an eye on him since Euro 2004 but since we never needed him then, I never envisaged him donning the great red jersey. However having just seen the amazing spectacle that was the Euro 2008 quarter between Germany and Portugal, the idea has been pushed in my face. And he’s come off the superior midfielder in this match. Yes, my dear readers. The man I’m thinking of is none other than Bastian Scweinsteiger.

It’s probably too puerile to even be called optimistic but I’ll still go on to explain why he’s such a great choice. He’s incredibly young- ’84 August born. He’s as creative as Ronaldo. I concede he hasn’t got so many tricks up his sleeve or is as good dribbling. But he’s on the same wavelength as far as free-kicks go, possibly better. And he definitely scores as far as shooting outside the 30 yard area goes. Leave today’s performance. His performance in the third place play-off against Portugal in WC-06 is ample testimony to that particular facet of his footballing skills. Anyway, why compare the two? Fact of the matter is, he’s a brilliant young player. And most importantly, the qualities one would use to describe Scweinsteiger are almost the same that United epitomize. He’s got flair. He’s like Rooney in the sense that he’s a no-nonsense stick-with-the-ball juggernaut. And he’s got a similar temper. Then he’s got that wonderful never-say-die attitude. I can actually see him in the glorious red jersey now.

But harsh realities have this really annoying habit of coming in the way of our most wonderful dreams. While Scweinsteiger’s contract with Bayern does end in June 2009, it’s bound to be renewed. He’s been with them as a youth player since 1994 and might well retire in Bayern’s colours. He’s happy there and it’s going to take a lot to get him to come. Plus, as Old Man Poochie told me, Juve have been after him for 2 years now. But then, if we can get $75 million for Ronny, who knows? It’s a lot of money. Old Man’s take is CR7 = Robinho + Sergio Ramos + Cash. Take Scweinsteiger with the cash, he says. Or even Podolski will be good enough. Lefty’s dime a dozen opinion: CR7 = BS + Cash. Do whatever you like with the cash; just bring Bastian Scweinsteiger to the Theatre of Dreams. Is Sir Alex listening?

# posted by Saagar @ 3:22 am