Torres

Football exclusive: Cristiano Ronaldo declares for Real Madrid 'I want to play for Real Madrid, but only if it is true they are eager to pay me and Manchester United what they have been saying they will' * Duncan Castles * guardian.co.uk, * Thursday June 5 2008 * Article history Cristiano Ronaldo The Champions League final could have been Ronaldo's last game for Manchester United. Photograph: Dave Thompson/PA Manchester United must face the real possibility that Cristiano Ronaldo has played his final match for the club after the Portuguese winger publicly declared his intention to join Real Madrid at the end of the European Championship. Speaking from Portugal's training camp in the Swiss city of Neuchatel on Wednesday, Ronaldo made a keenly awaited statement on his future. The 23-year-old stated that he wanted to leave Old Trafford to sign for the Spanish champions if they made good on their promises of world record transfer fees and wages. Spanish media reports have placed the value of a Madrid offer to United at €100m and the player's salary at £15m a year. "I want to play for Real Madrid, but only if it is true they are eager to pay me and Manchester United what they have been saying they will," said Ronaldo in an interview with the respected Brazilian website Terra. "However, it does not depend on me." The issue of Ronaldo's future has been the dominant feature of Portugal's European Championship training camp, overshadowing the team's preparations and seeing questions raised about the player's state of mind. Hoping to prevent inquests at national team press conferences and post-match mixed zones, Ronaldo insisted that he would not speak about his choice of club again during the tournament. "It is important to send a message," he said. "From now on I will not talk again about this until the end of the Euros. It is not worth asking me because I will not reply." United have repeatedly stated that they will not allow Ronaldo to move this summer, but the club may now have to improve the five-year contract they agreed with the forward in April 2007. Given the scale of Madrid's offer, the player can expect to comfortably exceed the net €10m that Michael Ballack receives from Chelsea each year.

Surely one would say 'Jack`s opinion' and not 'Jack opinion'?

I would say it does as do the beeb...............it is the gossip of Thursday, therefore it is Thursday`s gossip column! Why wouldn`t it take it? BBC SPORT Thursday's gossip column BREAKING GOSSIP Real Madrid boss Bernd Schuster tells Spanish television he believes Cristiano Ronaldo will play for the club at some point in his career. (Press Association, 2330 BST) Portsmouth trio Sean Davis, Lauren and Milan Baros may leave the club during the summer. (Sporting Life, 1530 BST) Liverpool target Albert Riera wants to leave Spanish club Espanyol. (Goal.com, 1500 BST) An agreement has been reached between Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid and now the Spanish club have to convince Manchester United to sell. (Spanish sports paper Marca, 1350) Tottenham are weighing up a possible move for Lyon keeper Gregory Coupet. (Teamtalk, 1130 BST) Frank Lampard will open fresh talks about a new contract with Chelsea after England's upcoming friendlies. (Press Association, 1115 BST) AC Milan want one striker from Chelsea's Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto'o of Barcelona, Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor or Palermo forward Amauri. (Reuters, 0945 BST) TRANSFER RUMOURS New European champions Manchester United have held talks with the owners of Carlos Tevez about turning the striker's loan into a permanent £20m move. (The Daily Express) Liverpool want £16m from Juventus for midfielder Xabi Alonso, but will call off any deal if they fail to land Aston Villa's Gareth Barry. (The Sun) Villa are ending their plans to sign keeper Scott Carson after failing to agree a fee with Liverpool. (The Daily Telegraph) 606: DEBATE Reds boss Rafael Benitez is closing in on Andrea Dossena as Tottenham and Juventus enter the race for the Udinese full-back. (The Daily Star) Arsenal face competition from Marseille for the signature of Lyon winger Hatem Ben Arfa. (The Daily Star) Marseille's interest in Ben Arfa could scupper Arsenal's deal for Samir Nasri as the two French clubs may do a swap. (the Daily Telegraph) Meanwhile, Arsenal want to add Frenchmen Clement Chantome, from PSG, and Laval's Francis Coquelin to their ranks. (Various) The Gunners have been linked with midfielder Alberto Aquilani, but says he wants to stay at Roma. (Independent) Premier League newcomers West Brom and Stoke have both set their sights on Reading defender Ibrahima Sonko. (The Sun) Tottenham are set to offload midfielder Hossam Ghaly to Blackburn. (Various) Wolves are to test the resolve of fellow Championship side Burnley with a £4m bid for striker Kyle Lafferty. (The Daily Mirror) Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is favourite to win the race to sign Cardiff City's Aaron Ramsey as the newly-crowned Champions League winners are prepared to loan the teenage sensation back to the Championship club next season. (The Western Mail) Cardiff City full-back Tony Capaldi has been linked with a move to Championship rivals Wolves and Coventry City. (Various) OTHER GOSSIP Former Chelsea boss and current Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri has warned Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra not to sack coach Sven-Goran Eriksson. (The Daily Star) Portsmouth assistant boss Tony Adams is set to extend his deal with the FA Cup winners. (The Daily Telegraph) AND FINALLY Chelsea had to wear their new kit for the Champions League final because of commercial influences. But the Blues had yet to win in the new shirt having only worn them in one match, the 1-1 draw against Bolton, and superstitious players wanted to wear the old one. (The Daily Mail)

Shouldn`t it be Thursday`s gossip...................or is it just a geordie play on the St James`s Park thing?

A well rounded argument backed up by sound reasoning, well done. No offence to the guy but if he is an adult he is slightly backward. He could have an argument with himself. I bet he would win though. If I`m 'slightly' backward................stoneage would be giving you a lot of credit.

You seem to have an age fetish.....................must be from all that waiting.

Your transfer activities will be very interesting as I think you could be dark horses given your late spurt this season. I think Everton will slide out of it and Villa could replace them as 5th. Imo it`s between Villa, Citeh, Pompey and you lot or spurs...............will be interesting. A good start will mean a lot.

As long as Torres is the Wenger style character, Im happy with that. Ahhhhhhhhhhh.........Wenger...............don`t Spurs wish they had a manager like that............instead of the hapless cunts they always hire. Like Ramos. Good one. One league cup isn`t really setting the world alight. 2 Uefas on the trot? Copa del rey? Taking Seville to within 1 week of the Spanish title? Really made a bad career move poor sod. Won´t be winning anything in Europe for a long time now. You really know how to make yourself look daft kiddah. It is true though. Two things: it's you making a prediction rather than a true fact and you've changed your argument from saying Ramos is hapless to saying he won't do anything in the future in Europe. How is saying he`s hapless so different to saying he won`t win anything. Cause and effect. Talking about the future of football is always a prediction no matter how one chooses to express it................otherwise I`d be at the bookies.

Hughes seems more dedicated though, Sven is just along for the ride to pick up a few million here and there........... Sven didn't jump, he was pushed. I meant the chairman seems trigger happy. I'm pretty sure Bizza meant he'd be sacked. Christmas seems a bit soon though. I reckon Hughes could well take 5th if he can hold on to the squad he has and has a few million to spend.

As long as Torres is the Wenger style character, Im happy with that. Ahhhhhhhhhhh.........Wenger...............don`t Spurs wish they had a manager like that............instead of the hapless cunts they always hire. Like Ramos. Good one. One league cup isn`t really setting the world alight. 2 Uefas on the trot? Copa del rey? Taking Seville to within 1 week of the Spanish title? Really made a bad career move poor sod. Won´t be winning anything in Europe for a long time now. You really know how to make yourself look daft kiddah. It is true though.

Hughes seems more dedicated though, Sven is just along for the ride to pick up a few million here and there...........

As long as Torres is the Wenger style character, Im happy with that. Ahhhhhhhhhhh.........Wenger...............don`t Spurs wish they had a manager like that............instead of the hapless cunts they always hire. Like Ramos. Good one. One league cup isn`t really setting the world alight. 2 Uefas on the trot? Copa del rey? Taking Seville to within 1 week of the Spanish title? Really made a bad career move poor sod. Won´t be winning anything in Europe for a long time now.

Really?....................I`d have thought two seasons given the current squad plus a spending kitty would be quite realistic.

As long as Torres is the Wenger style character, Im happy with that. Ahhhhhhhhhhh.........Wenger...............don`t Spurs wish they had a manager like that............instead of the hapless cunts they always hire. Like Ramos. Good one. One league cup isn`t really setting the world alight.

A well rounded argument backed up by sond reasoning, well done. Let me ask you this little man. How come he has played in 35 games this season if he is only second string? Easy...............we play more games than you do gimp! 35 must seem like a season to you He was more or less dropped towards the end of the season and is not considered a first choice anymore, hence the signing of Philip Degen. You played 2 games more than us in all comps. surprising seeing as we cam away with a trophy and you ended potless. Your first in how long??????????????????? Has Chimbonda ever played a CL game? Fucking Olli Bernard has played in the CL, what sort of shit fucking argument is that? Face it boys, they're both crap. It wasn`t an argument it was a dig........................I`d won the argument before it had even started!

As long as Torres is the Wenger style character, Im happy with that. Ahhhhhhhhhhh.........Wenger...............don`t Spurs wish they had a manager like that............instead of the hapless cunts they always hire.

A well rounded argument backed up by sond reasoning, well done. Let me ask you this little man. How come he has played in 35 games this season if he is only second string? Easy...............we play more games than you do gimp! 35 must seem like a season to you He was more or less dropped towards the end of the season and is not considered a first choice anymore, hence the signing of Philip Degen. You played 2 games more than us in all comps. surprising seeing as we cam away with a trophy and you ended potless. Your first in how long??????????????????? Has Chimbonda ever played a CL game?

Yeah you`re right, but I do think Finnan was a more solid performer with a more professional temprament and approach. By solid you mean "slow" and by professional temperament you mean "he gets a nose bleed past the half way line"? Shall we start comparing international caps and honours or would that be too realistic for you?

A well rounded argument backed up by sond reasoning, well done. Let me ask you this little man. How come he has played in 35 games this season if he is only second string? Easy...............we play more games than you do gimp! 35 must seem like a season to you He was more or less dropped towards the end of the season and is not considered a first choice anymore, hence the signing of Philip Degen.

Yeah you`re right, but I do think Finnan was a more solid performer with a more professional temprament and approach.

Finnan is a far better player and has had a better career to boot.

Get into top six or face sack, Hughes warned by Thaksin · City owner demands place in Europe at first attempt · New manager gets £ 50m for signings this summer Mark Hughes Mark Hughes only received a lukewarm welcome from Manchester City supporters due to his ties with Old Trafford. Photograph: Michael Regan/Action Images Mark Hughes is under instructions to supply Thaksin Shinawatra with a minimum top-six finish, and qualification for Europe, at Manchester City if he wants to avoid the same fate as Sven-Goran Eriksson. Hughes, whose appointment was confirmed yesterday, has been left in no doubt that the owner will not tolerate anything but a concerted effort to gatecrash the Premier League's "big four". Thaksin's refusal to countenance anything less led to Eriksson being paid off after one season and Hughes will be under even more pressure given the amount of money at his disposal this summer. A club-record deal for Jo, the Brazilian striker, has been arranged with CSKA Moscow, at a cost of £18m, and Hughes has identified David Bentley as his next target, with City preparing a bid of about £7m for a player who has only a year remaining on his contract at Hughes' former club, Blackburn Rovers. In total Thaksin will make about £50m available to Hughes and the Thai's associates are still in advanced talks with Ronaldinho, a proposed deal that has been laughed off all around the world but which is being treated with deadly seriousness in the City boardroom. Hughes will, in effect, have more to spend this summer than any manager bar Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and whoever chooses to replace Avram Grant at Chelsea. With that, however, comes a form of pressure that he will rarely have experienced at Blackburn or in his previous job in charge of Wales. Thaksin has shown he is not only wealthy but ruthless and it has been made clear to Hughes that he must deliver a significant return. To put the manager's task in context, City have not finished in the Premier League's top six since its inception and last finished that high in the top flight in 1992. As a former Manchester United player with an illustrious past at Old Trafford, Hughes has received only a lukewarm welcome from City supporters. He has signed a three-year contract after meeting the club's new executive chairman, Garry Cook, in London on Tuesday night, when it was pressed upon him that the club wanted a quick answer. By then a compensation package had been agreed with Blackburn but City's concern was that Hughes was holding out in the belief that he was second to Carlo Ancelotti on Peter Kenyon's shortlist at Chelsea. It soon transpired that Roman Abramovich, Chelsea's owner, did not share his chief executive's view and Hughes was able to give Cook the speedy answer that had been requested. "I am delighted to welcome Mark on board," said Cook. "In our view he is the brightest young manager in the game. He made it clear to us from the moment we met that he shared our vision and ambition to make City one of the top sides in the country." Cook, previously an executive for Nike, went on to describe Hughes as "always our No1 target" which was being economical with the truth, to say the least, given that Thaksin spent several weeks trying to persuade Portugal's coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, to accept the job. What cannot be disputed, however, is that Hughes's appointment represents an early success for Cook at the end of an unstable period that is likely to see the club's chief executive, Alistair Mackintosh, move on before the start of next season. Hughes will be unveiled at a 9.30am news conference today while Blackburn set about bringing in a replacement, with Sam Allardyce, Paul Ince, Steve McClaren and Gordon Strachan in contention. Blackburn's chairman, John Williams, said of Hughes: "He leaves the club in a strong position with three consecutive top-10 finishes and an excellent squad. In turn, we have helped Mark to establish himself as one of the most sought-after young British managers in the business, having previously had no club management experience. We wish him well. We would have liked him to stay but he made it clear he wanted a fresh challenge." Road to Eastlands 1984 Makes Manchester United and Wales debuts. Goes on to win 72 caps 1985 Wins the FA Cup with United 1986 Joins Barcelona for £2m and goes to Bayern Munich a year later 1988 Returns to United for a then club-record £1.8m. Wins two league titles, two more FA Cups, the League Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup 1995 Joins Chelsea and helps them to an FA Cup and Cup Winners' Cup 1998 Joins Southampton and then Everton 1999 Appointed Wales coach after Bobby Gould resigns 2000 Joins Blackburn Rovers 2002 Retires from playing aged 39, then manages Wales to a 2-1 victory over Italy in Cardiff in Euro 2004 qualifying 2003 Wales fail to qualify for Euro 2004 after play-off defeat to Russia 2004 Appointed Blackburn manager. Keeps them up in first season and goes on to post three top-10 finishes June 4 2008 Appointed Manchester City manager Does anyone think this is a realistic goalH?

Oh dear!

Yet still twice the player of Steve Finnan. Weird non? this seems to be torres' now thing, calling players "average" in the hopes of getting a bite What a fool! He is an average player you bitch.

Yet still twice the player of Steve Finnan. Weird non? Yes it is weird that anyone would be so deluded as to even think so. Finnan at his best was way ahead. It should of course be remembered that Finnan is no longer first choice and now over 30!