For a record $132 million, just days after Real also picked up Kaka. Someone's beefing up after Barcelona's triple this year.
My Internet connection at the moment is too slow to open it, so I can't provide a link, but the BBC has a cool graphic charting the history of the highest-transfer fee record. After going up nearly every year for like two decades (Maradona set the record one year going from Boca Juniors to Barcelona, then broke that record the next year when they sold him to Napoli), it hadn't gone up since 2001. Now, Madrid broke the record with Kaka, then broke it again three days later for Ronaldo.
I don't know much about the Spanish Premier League, mainly because it's just not what's on TV where I am. But this makes for a very exciting upcoming season there I think.
Zinedine Zidane has warned a very arrogant-sounding Ronaldo he'll have to cope with being "just another great player" at Madrid, and not being on center stage. He also says he thinks this move could make United better this season.
I'm excited to see Ronaldo go head to head with Messi, who completely outshone him in the Champions League final. El Classico is must-see this year.
Not to pick nits but the deal isn't done yet - Manoo have just accepted the offer. I'm 99% sure it'll all go through, but weirder things have happened in the wacky world of soccer transfers.
That aside, Real Madrid have made the offseason plenty entertaining this year. I have no clue where they get the money, but they're sure going all out to try and catch Barca sooner rather than later.
Of course they still don't have anyone who can pull off even a passable impersonation of a centre-back, and they seem to have missed the fact Barca's success stemmed from the godliness of Xavi and (especially) Iniesta in midfield, but if they want to go out and sign a bunch of attackers for our viewing pleasure then more power to 'em I say.
I don't know much about the Spanish Premier League, mainly because it's just not what's on TV where I am. But this makes for a very exciting upcoming season there I think.
That sucks. Last season was awesome. Almost every one of their top teams (with the possible exception of Barca) has zero interest in the whole defending malarky but is phenomenal going forward which led to plenty 3-2s and 4-3s.
Any combination of Villareal, Athletico, Real and Barca should be great next year. Valencia too, if they can hold onto their players, but in that they're carrying a debt that would make the Lehmans blush, they probably won't.
As for Man U, they won't find one player to replace Ronaldo, but they should be able to spend it on three or four players who'll make them a better team overall. I figure they'll take a run at one of Eto'o, Ibrahimovic and Villa. Ribery and Valencia have also been pretty strongly linked, so they'll probably be as strong as ever next year.
Originally posted by dMrI don't know much about the Spanish Premier League, mainly because it's just not what's on TV where I am. But this makes for a very exciting upcoming season there I think.
That sucks. Last season was awesome. Almost every one of their top teams (with the possible exception of Barca) has zero interest in the whole defending malarky but is phenomenal going forward which led to plenty 3-2s and 4-3s.
After seeing Barcelona against Chelsea and United in the Champions League brackets, I definitely plan on doing whatever I have to do to see at least the biggest games of the upcoming Spanish Premier League season. Their technical style of play is very entertaining.
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