Reports suggest Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave Real Madrid

Breaking reports suggest that Cristiano Ronaldo is mad at Real Madrid and is requesting a move out of the club this summer. How seriously should we take these rumors?

I wrote last week that you know silly season has arrived when we start hearing Cristiano Ronaldo transfer rumors. The gods of the transfer season must have heard me, because now a Cristiano Ronaldo rumor storm is a brewin.

Fresh off the heels of the announcement that Spanish authorities are suing Ronaldo for tax fraud, reports suggest that the Real Madrid talisman is angry that the club isn’t doing enough to defend him.

Marca released a laundry-list of reasons why Ronaldo is supposedly unhappy with the club. Ronaldo’s reported grievances range from feelings of being singled out by the Spanish media and justice system to a sense that Real Madrid has not protected him enough in the face of his tax accusations.

Marca’s article paints a picture of a Ronaldo who feels frustrated, alienated, and victimized. For Real Madrid fans, this news has to come as a huge surprise. Ronaldo just enjoyed one of his best seasons with the club. And Ronaldo has previously stated that he wants to retire at Real Madrid sometime after he turns 40.

Nevertheless, according to Marca, Ronaldo’s frustrations are a long time in the making. Ronaldo’s decision to leave Real Madrid “is not simply the result of a player who made an angry, snap decision in the heat of the moment,” they write. Rather, “It is the result of a thoughtful decision from the player, who weighed everything up over time and has come to this conclusion.”

Rumors of Ronaldo’s departure from Madrid originated with Portuguese newspaper A Bola.  They were the same source that fueled the initial transfer rumors about Ronaldo leaving Real Madrid last week, prompting me to cast serious skepticism toward the quality of their reporting.

It’s probably still unlikely that Ronaldo will leave Real Madrid.  But something feels different about these reports.

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Maybe it’s the fact that these reports are so widespread, or the fact that they go into great detail about Ronaldo’s long-term decision-making, or the fact that Ronaldo has yet to deny the allegations. The presence of smoke may not necessarily indicate fire, but it’s getting awfully smoky indeed.

Ronaldo’s contract status makes me think there might be something more to this latest round of rumors. Normally when rumors of a player being unhappy start circulating, it’s because they are seeking a new contract. But Ronaldo is already the best paid player on the team, having just signed a new contract taking his stay at the club up until 2021.

What more could Ronaldo want? If this ISN’T about getting a new contract, does that mean Ronaldo is legitimately fed up with Real Madrid?

This is a nerve-racking development. It would be a huge loss to allow Ronaldo to slip through Real Madrid’s grasp after completing one of his best seasons with the club. But Ronaldo’s player power is simply too great for Madrid to resist if he decides to go.

Real Madrid should also not allow themselves to be bullied. If Ronaldo wants to make unreasonable demands, Real Madrid should let him know that no player is bigger than the club, not even Cristiano Ronaldo.

Stay tuned to The Real Champs for more about the ongoing Cristiano Ronaldo transfer drama.