Cristiano leaves Madrid. On Tuesday it became known officially.
Stories about a possible departure from Real Madrid have already become a familiar summer attribute. Cristiano turned into that same boy who mentioned wolves out of place, so at first the attitude to the rumors about the transition to Juve was cool. In the end, everything turned out to be true, and the transfer saga did not last for a whole summer. Everything was resolved within a few days. On Tuesday evening, the "royal club" made an official statement in which he confirmed the breakup with his main star. Cristiano himself, as it has now become fashionable among the stars, wrote a farewell letter:
https://twitter.com/realmadrid/status/1016709545673060352“I've been thinking a lot and I know it's time for a new period. I'm leaving, but this uniform, this coat of arms and the Santiago Bernabeu will still be with me wherever I go. Thank you all and, of course, I want to say as I said for the first time in our stadium 9 years ago: Hala Madrid!
The icon of Madrid, the symbol of the last nine years, is changing its club registration. The loudest summer transfer has already taken place. What could be cooler when a five-time winner of the Golden Ball moves to another team?
Why do players of Ronaldo's caliber take such steps? Certainly not because of money, because in this case he would have gone to China, where they were ready to pay him 100 million euros a year. The banal answer is the most correct. He really needed a new challenge. This summer, a celestial from another sport - LeBron James, for exactly the same reason, moved from Cleveland, where he was king and god, to the Lakers. With Real Madrid, Ronaldo won everything he could. What new goals should he set in Madrid? Win not three, but four Champions Leagues in a row? Much more interesting to take the Champions League with the third club in his career. In the entire history of the tournament, only one person has succeeded so far - Clarence Seedorf, who took the trophy with Ajax, Real Madrid and Milan.
Serie A is another challenge for the 33-year-old Ronaldo. All the great players of the last three decades have necessarily ended up in Italy. From Maradona and van Basten to Ronaldo and Zidane. Perhaps, in recent years, the Italian championship has been inferior in status to the Premier League and La Liga, but this is still a very specific tournament in which not everyone can prove themselves. Yes, Cristiano goes not to Sassuolo, but to a team that has dominated the championship for the past seven years, but this does not guarantee him personal achievements. And on personal indicators, Ronaldo is turned thoroughly. Performance records excite him no less than titles. He wants to make his mark at Juve and will do everything to make that mark as visible as possible.
Far from the main, but also not unimportant reason for moving from Spain to Italy could be the problems of the Portuguese with the law. The Spanish tax authorities have a stranglehold on stars of any size who decide to circumvent local laws. Most recently, Ronaldo had to make a deal with law enforcement to avoid real time. As a result, CR7 received two years probation and paid almost 19 million euros in fines. In Italy, nothing has been heard about such high-profile cases against football players lately.
For Italy as a whole, the transition of Ronaldo is an incredible success. If earlier Serie A was mainly followed by football geeks who found pleasure in the specific charm of this championship, now the eyes of the whole world will turn here. This spring, he rocked in Turin in a Real Madrid kit. In the next four seasons, he will do it regularly.
He was accused of tax evasion, even sentenced to a suspended sentence of 21 months in prison. However, the case of Ronaldo is a precedent.
So what's the point. While in Russia they were waiting for the arrival of Cristiano and savoring his quotes about the intention to win the Confederations Cup, in fact, the Portuguese head was full of problems of a completely different kind. that the Spanish authorities accused him of non-payment of taxes - we are talking about the amount of 14,786,897 euros. The debt accumulated between 2011 and 2014. Here's how the accusation sounds specifically: "Benefited from a business structure created in 2010 to hide from the tax authorities income from the rights to use his image, earned in Spain." The prosecution is confident that the football player withdrew part of the money through offshore companies in the British Virgin Islands. Possible punishment - a fine of 28 million euros and seven years in prison.
Naturally, Cristiano himself and his representatives denied all accusations. Moreover, Ronaldo posted on Instagram a photo with an index finger pressed to his lips and a caption. Controversial? Undoubtedly. Moreover, some media outlets saw a certain conspiracy element in this picture. With multiple approximations, you can see the five shaved on his head, which, in fact, can mean anything. But the message suggests itself - I will win the fifth Ballon d'Or. The only question is, in the composition of which club - the headlines of the Portuguese newspapers on Friday have already suggested such an idea.
A Bola placed on the front page a photo of the best player in the world with the headline: "Ronaldo wants to leave Spain." The article itself stated that he had already notified the President of Real Madrid about this, and that the decision was not subject to review. Thus, he expects to avoid punishment. Or…
Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) June 16, 2017
If we develop the theme of conspiracy theories, perhaps in this way the author of the double in the Champions League final gives Perez an ultimatum: the club pays for me and guarantees my freedom or I leave. Although it is far from certain that, even having paid the required amount, Real Madrid will keep the player - money in money, and the impending prison term is a completely different story, even if most experts predict Messi's scenario. However, it seems that Cristiano himself is not very worried about the accusations.
To be honest, I am absolutely calm about this, - he said before the Champions League final in an interview with El Chiringuito. - I know that the situation can be solved with the help of competent decisions. So I'm perfectly fine - I say this sincerely, looking directly into your camera. When you do everything well, in difficult moments it is quite possible to remain relaxed. And I assure you - no matter what happens, at night I always sleep soundly. Is always.
Real Madrid naturally supported their player by issuing a statement: "We are absolutely confident that Ronaldo will prove his innocence during this process." The only question is whether Cristiano himself, who is at the peak of his form and showing the best football in his career, wants to prove something to someone. It is enough for him to shave the number five on his head and focus on the Confederations Cup. The next trophy will only strengthen his position and allow him to silently observe the development of the situation. There have already been reports that Madrid will make every effort and pull all the levers to keep their leader. But at the same time, information appeared that
It became known when and why the five-time winner of the Golden Ball Cristiano decided to leave Real Madrid.
El Mundo journalists Esteban Urreystieta and Orfeo Suarez published a detailed article on the pages of the publication, revealing the details of the events that served as a catalyst for the departure of the Portuguese to Juventus.
In their material, the journalists talk about the meeting that took place on May 11, 2017, which the football player gathered at the villa of his agent Jorge Mendes in the residential area of La Finca.
Ronaldo's lawyers were present, and El Mundo had at his disposal the smallest details of the meeting, including the color of the floor, verbatim quotes from the participants and a photograph of Carlos Osorio, exhausted, relaxing on the couch after the end of the conversation.
It was Osorio, Mendes' trusted lawyer who handled the details of major transactions, that took the brunt of the blow. Ronaldo organized a meeting to understand where his multi-million dollar debt to the Spanish state came from.
“Who is responsible for all this? - Cristiano began the conversation, turning just to Osorio.
I don't have any education. The only thing I've done in my life is playing football. But I'm not stupid, I don't trust anyone. That is why, when I hire a consultant, I pay him 30% more than he asks. Because I don't want problems."
“Krish, I am responsible. “Calm down, everything is in order, we will fight until we die,” Osorio answered.
At the same time, El Mundo's source claims that others who were at the table on which the photograph lay (one more detail) understood the complexity of the situation during the conversation.
“I never said that taxes should not be paid! I want to know what happened! I don’t understand anything, sponsors pay taxes. Why did they charge me?"
- Ronaldo lost his temper.
The main problem turned out to be the money received by the offshore company of the football player Tollin Associates under advertising contracts for Ronaldo. The player himself believed that the funds had already arrived after deducting taxes and did not understand why he had such problems in Spain, although during his performances in England everything was in order with the same work scheme.
After his transfer to Real Madrid, Cristiano asked Osorio to find out the nuances of Spanish laws. However, the lawyer, obviously, treated the order negligently and did nothing.
According to El Mundo, known for his stance in support of the main rival in the Spanish arena - Barcelona, six factors convinced the Portuguese superstar to leave Madrid.
Firstly, the club did not stand up for the player before the authorities. If in Barcelona, where other players faced similar problems, the situation was resolved according to a well-established scheme, then Real Madrid president Florentino Perez refused to vouch for the player to the treasury for his extra-club income.
Cristiano Ronaldo considered it a betrayal.
After that, the "royal club" missed the opportunity to rectify the situation when Osorio discovered a clause in the contract according to which "Real" had to take care of unforeseen tax liabilities. The Creamy ignored the player's request to compensate for tax penalties by updating the financial terms of the contract.
The third and fourth reasons relate to football and image issues. Ronaldo did not like that he, the current owner of the Golden Ball, became only the third-highest paid player in the world after Messi and Neymar, who joined PSG. In addition, the Portuguese was annoyed that the club management constantly called the Argentinean Alfredo di Stefano the best player in the history of Real Madrid.
“They always say that. I don’t know what else I need to do to get them to call me, ”this is exactly how, according to El Mundo, Cristiano complained to his entourage.
Cristiano also did not like the rumors that the head coach of the “creamy” at that time complained about him to the club management. The French specialist did not like the fact that the Portuguese in the locker room only talks about his problems, and he asked Perez to resolve the situation.
Finally, the new offer received from the club with a salary of 25 million euros net and the opportunity to earn another 5 million bonuses, the player considered disrespectful, finally deciding to leave the capital of Spain.
It was in the summer of 2017, when Real Madrid received a transfer offer from Manchester United, that Florentino Perez realized the seriousness of the situation and made a gentlemen's agreement with Mendes: "Bring me 100 million euros and he is free."
Before last season, the Portuguese refused the Italian Milan, Manchester United and the French PSG, who wanted to arrange a transfer on the last day of the window so that Real could not take Neymar or Kylian Mbappe out of Paris. Ronaldo and Mendes considered such a scheme too risky.
As a result, according to the publication, Ronaldo already at the beginning of the 2017/18 season regretted that he had not left Real Madrid, and in December he himself asked the agent to go to Juventus.
“I like them, they have an organized club. And I don't forget that Juventus tried to sign me back in the days of Sporting. Tell them: "In the last two years you have reached the final of the Champions League twice, with me you can win the trophy" - another private conversation quote from El Mundo.
As a result, the matter was decided by two points: Juventus guaranteed the player legal security and assured that there would be no problems with taxes, and also offered a fixed salary.
At the same time, it is reported that Mendes, to the last, counted on the activation of Perez and the continuation of the client’s career in Madrid, but Ronaldo himself was categorically set:
“I will be for those who appreciated me when Madrid did not. If Florentino comes and gives me twice as much, I will say that I don't care. I'm moving to Juve.
Interestingly, Perez nevertheless helped Ronaldo sort out the tax problem by recommending his own experienced lawyer, Chitin Del Valle.
It was he who convinced Ronaldo and Mendes to abandon all previous advisers and change the negotiating strategy so as not to end up in jail.
Cristiano insisted that he was not a criminal, Osorio also opposed the deal with the tax authorities, but the new advisers convinced the footballer of the reality of the prison term, and as a result, he signed a pre-trial agreement, according to which all claims were removed from him after paying 18.8 million euros.
On this, the story of Ronaldo in Real Madrid was completed, and nothing more connected him with Madrid.
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Fans Real Madrid barely started celebrating their third Champions League win in a row and their fourth in five years, when they had to settle down at least for a while - the attacking leader of their favorite team, its superstar and top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo made it clear that he could leave the royal club in the summer.
“I was very pleased to play for the Creamy, and I will give an answer about my future in the coming days,” the Portuguese surprised. The saga, which began a year ago that the striker would like to change the situation, seems to have not only not ended, but only developed.
Apparently, the reason lies in the attacker's dissatisfaction with the way the Real Madrid leadership treats him. Ronaldo is seeking an improved contract, and the President of Madrid Florentino Perez, seems to hesitate with such a decision, realizing that for all his phenomenal game, the player is already 33 years old, and Cristiano himself is still not the same as he was a few years ago, so he does not need to pay more; the coaching staff of the team increasingly gives him rest to keep him fresh, and the Portuguese failed the first half of the season.
According to a journalist and a friend of a football player Nuno Gomes, the relationship between the forward and the president leaves much to be desired, because the second promised him to extend the contract and increase his salary, and when the first made such a request, he was pointed to the wrong time for this.
“I doubt that he will leave, but he is annoyed that, contrary to promises to extend the contract, this did not happen. Real Madrid and Ronaldo will agree, because Cristiano is the best player in the world. He is severely underpaid,” Gomes is convinced.
Where can Ronaldo go?
Looking at the potential options to pursue a career as a Portuguese, two options seem to be the most obvious. The first is the transition to PSG, which aims to become one of the top clubs in Europe by finally winning the Champions League. The five-time winner of this tournament, dissatisfied with his income in the royal club - this is a great opportunity for the French champion to achieve his goal. Given that the main star of "Paris Saint-Germain" Neymar dissatisfied with her life in Paris, as well as with the level of the local championship, and, according to rumors, she wants to move to Real Madrid - Cristiano can be transferred almost by direct exchange for the Brazilian.
The second option is the return of Ronaldo to "Manchester United", which is written about every time the striker starts to be something unhappy in Madrid. "Red Devils", who after retirement Sir Alex Ferguson they still cannot reach the former level of the unconditional grandee of world football, they need such a high-quality and authoritative personality as the Portuguese, even if he shows good form for only a couple of seasons (do not forget about the high intensity of Premier League matches).
However, this move seems unlikely, as in the midst of last year's rumors about the striker's possible departure from Real Madrid, the media wrote about the lack of interest in him from the Manchester United manager. Jose Mourinho who understands how much money the deal will cost, and how long he promises to perform at the current level.
What will Real Madrid expect if Ronaldo leaves?
If Real Madrid decides to part ways with Cristiano, he will surely lose in the short term, but has every chance of winning later, because the loss of such a scorer, who played beautifully with other players from this team, which has essentially dominated Europe for five years now, risks breaking combinations in his attack, which invariably bring success.
Although Ronaldo is 33 years old, he is still able to become the top scorer in the Champions League and make the difference in big games, which is a key quality for great achievements. Not to mention the winning mentality in the Madrid dressing room, where the mere presence of the best player on the planet boosts his teammates' confidence.
And yet, the royal club cannot but understand that sooner or later they will have to say goodbye to the era of the Portuguese in the team, and in the event of a contract extension, the Creamy run the risk of facing a situation where sooner or later Cristiano will bring disproportionately little benefit for a lot of money . And then it will not be possible to sell it for the current money (according to transfermarkt.com - 120 million euros).
At the same time, the alternative in the face Eden Hazard from Chelsea or even better - Neymar, has a chance to successfully replace the striker, while Gareth Bale, whose future in Madrid is also in doubt, will have the opportunity to play more often and share the goalscoring duties with other strikers.
The option, in which the Brazilian takes the place of Ronaldo, and the Welsh becomes the main striker of the team has good prospects to keep Real Madrid among the obvious contenders for victory in the next seasons of the Champions League.What is the most likely scenario?
Nevertheless, there is a suspicion that the next saga with the possible departure of the Portuguese will again end in nothing - it will be too hard for the club's management to part with their main star, who, with careful use, is still capable of bringing big trophies to the team.
After all, the huge amount of money that the Creamers are making from commercials, broadcasting rights and success in the Champions League against a backdrop of just €56m in transfer losses over the past five years (456m spent and €403m earned) must help increase the salary of the leader of their attacks.
As for the right time to sell Ronaldo, for this, Real Madrid needs to try to get the same Neymar or Hazard (with the desired retention of Bale) already in the coming summer, so that the future parting with the Portuguese goes smoothly. In this case, the royal club will not only retain its top scorer, but will also create competition in the team so that both Cristiano himself and his partners do not calm down after all the successes and salary increases.Ronaldo will leave Real Madrid. Why is this more and more true?
"Match TV" talks about a new scandal around the best player in the world.
What happened
The Lisbon edition of A Bola on Friday released an article with the unequivocal headline: "Ronaldo wants to leave Spain." The article came out three days after the Spanish prosecutor's office filed a lawsuit against Cristiano for tax evasion. From 2011 to 2014, Ronaldo evaded taxes for a total of 14.7 million euros (1.4 + 1.7 ++ 3.2 + 8.5 million - chronology by year). The statement from the prosecutor's office alleges that the player used the structure created in 2010 to hide the real income from the sale of image rights.
The newspaper writes that the Portuguese is outraged by the accusations and has already informed the president of Real Madrid about the "inevitable" desire to leave.
What's wrong with Ronaldo's taxes
The corresponding law in Spain was adopted more than ten years ago. According to it, each player must pay 15 percent of the income received from the use of rights to his image by other companies. This case is rather complicated from a procedural point of view, therefore football players often resort to the services of special organizations that monitor this activity. If a player "forgets" about the tax, the so-called PAYE (The Pay As You Earn), withheld tax on income payments to employees, is paid. Simply put, collection through payroll deductions.
The fundamental disagreement between the fiscal authorities and the player is that the state believes that the same structure was created five years ago to hide taxes, and not for tax optimization. Allegedly, thanks to the connections of Mendes, Ronaldo saved more than 75 million euros by entering into advertising contracts through intermediaries and offshore companies.
What does Cristiano say
Representatives of the company Gestifute, leading the affairs of Cristiano, on Saturday released the following statement: “The footballer did not evade taxes. He did not hide income from the tax authorities and did not try to deceive the state.
The Portuguese TV channel SIC Noticias invited one of Ronaldo's lawyers to comment on the situation. “There were no hidden incomes in the declaration. Apparently, in Spain, some criteria are not taken into account. But there is not a single law that Ronaldo has broken,” said the lawyer.
Ronaldo himself, in a conversation with a journalist from the Deportes Cuatro channel, threw the phrase "My conscience is clear." And later on Instagram he posted a photo, signing it: "Sometimes the best answer is silence."
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVW0s_XlIJp/What they say in Real Madrid
The following statement appeared on the official website of the Madrid club: Real Madrid expresses its full support for our football player Cristiano Ronaldo, who has always acted within the framework of tax laws. Cristiano Ronaldo has always met his tax obligations since his move to Real Madrid in 2009. Real Madrid are fully confident that Cristiano Ronaldo will prove his innocence. Real Madrid expects a fair verdict to be delivered as soon as possible."
At the same time, Real Madrid allegedly also turned to the media with a request not to publish a photo of Ronaldo in the form of a club in news related to tax evasion. At least, the Spanish El Confidential wrote about it.
What is written in Spain
The usual Madrid press - Marca and AS - are very careful about scandals at Real Madrid. However, there were no denials from the largest publications in Spain.
Moreover, according to Marca, Ronaldo, while at the disposal of the national team, told his national teammates that he would change the team: “I am leaving Real Madrid, I decided so. There is no way back."
In turn, AS clarified that Cristiano made the decision to leave Real Madrid back in April, and did not give publicity to the matter so that the decisive matches of the club season would take place in a normal environment (the last rounds of examples and the playoffs of the Champions League). Ronaldo allegedly announced his decision to agent Jorge Mendes, who convinced the footballer to take his time with the public nature of this story.
Alfredo Relanho, AS editor-in-chief, wrote a column titled "Spanish tax authorities are killing football" in which he did not name a single name (with the exception of league president Javier Tebas), but the general tone is that proceedings against individual players are a new line in the policy of the fiscal authorities, and It is worth waiting for the appearance of a number of such cases.
What does the Messi affair have to do with
The lawyer Ronaldo, already mentioned above, believes that there is nothing in common. “Messi and some other players have not declared anything. Ronaldo, before the investigation suddenly began, declared everything that was necessary, ”said the lawyer.
The press writes that Cristiano is very unhappy with the denouement that the Messi case has received. Recall that Lionel was conditionally sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax evasion. Despite the formidable wording, Leo continues to play and feels very good at Barcelona, which is preparing a new contract for him.
What's going on now
Ronaldo trains with the national team in Kazan and is waiting for the start of the Confederations Cup. Real Madrid representatives and agents are silent. Partners - in the club and the national team - express words of support.
According to the Spanish radio station Cadena Cope, Jorge Mendes notified the management of Madrid about offers to his agent from English, French and Chinese clubs. AS writes that a certain Chinese club is offering Real Madrid 200 million, and the player himself is being offered a salary of 120 million euros.
A Bola, who made the mess, calls the amount of 180 million euros, and in addition to Manchester United and PSG, Monaco is the contender for the disgraced Cristiano.
Germany reacted most vigorously to history. Hertha Twitter called Ronaldo to the club, speaking directly to the player: “No money, but this is a galactic challenge and Berlin will love you like a son. Interested, Cristiano?