Confused? It’s hardly surprising after the noises coming out of Madrid! Only minutes after winning the trophy for the thirteenth time in their history and the third time in the last three years, two of the BBC were talking of their futures as though they had played their last games as a Galáctico.
The other member of the BBC, Karim Benzema, probably realises how lucky he is to be playing at a club whose manager is from the same ethnic background as he is and, probably because of this, keeps selecting him no matter how average a player he is. So he is keeping his mouth shut at present.
But what is likely to happen with the other two?
Well, Gareth Bale, as usual, is immediately being linked with Manchester United. He is at an age (28) which appears to be a favourite of Mourinho who prefers his players to be 27 or older. This means there would, under normal circumstances, be around another four or five decent years in the player.
With Bale, however, there is every chance that only two or three of those years will be injury-free and even that estimate is allowing for a slice of good luck!
Still this, as usual, is unlikely to deter Mourinho who will have an ally in any pursuit of the Welshman in Ed Woodward who has also long wanted to sign the player for United but, in his case, it would be just to prove that he can.
Manchester City are unlikely to be interested for all the aforementioned reasons. They want young players who, preferably, are not injury-prone so Bale certainly does not fit the bill for them.
Ed Woodward has been trying to sign Gareth Bale for years even though it would disrupt the team as he is not what is needed. Woodward doesn’t care about that, he sees it as a wonderful marketing opportunity!
Another possible option, and one which we at WSA would prefer, would be a return to Tottenham Hotspur. This may even facilitate a move to United for either Danny Rose or Toby Alderweireld although, in reality, one of those two is likely to end up at Old Trafford whatever happens.
So, assuming that Bale leaves, what does that mean for Ronaldo? His contract runs until June 30th, 2021 which means that he won’t be running that down any time soon. So is he just agitating for a new one?
If he were to leave where would he go? He will not enjoy the success he has had at Madrid anywhere else in the world. He is a five-times Champion’s League winner and the clubs record goalscorer. He has won everything there is to win whilst in Madrid so what would he achieve by leaving?
Yet again, the suspicion is that he doesn’t feel the love. Although he has put the effort in over the years he has now become the archetypal spoilt little rich kid.
He says it isn’t about money but it is well known in Madrid that he is unhappy at being paid less than Messi or Neymar.
The toys have come out of the pram again and this time there may be some substance to the rumours that he really will leave this time.
Again, however, there is a problem. If Gareth Bale is allowed to leave, which is the more realistic of the two, Zinedine Zidane will not want to lose Ronaldo as well. Do Madrid then keep him against his will which, given his contractual situation, they could do, or do they give him yet another pay-rise in order to shut him up and bring him back to happy-land?
The majority of Madrid fans will be hoping that this is another of Ronaldo’s annual storms in a teacup which is nearly always resolved by Florentino Perez telling his star player how much he loves him and how much he would miss him if he were to leave.
Yet again Florentino Perez will need to cuddle Cristiano and prove that he is really, really wanted! This time, however, it may not work.
If this turns out not to be the case then a move to the USA or China would appear to be the only options open to a 33-year old who wants pay parity with two of his peers. Unless, of course, PSG want him or Manchester United are daft enough to take him back.
When all said and done, what will probably happen is what always happens and Cristiano will be wearing the white of Madrid again next year.
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 