Cristiano Ronaldo heads towards Bernabeu exit door
Cristiano Ronaldo will play his last home league Clasico next Saturday with his slow divorce from Real Madrid coming to an inevitable conclusion next May.
Advertisement
That's the opinion of sources close to the Spanish club he joined in 2009 – and it's a theory backed up by the fact that Real Madrid snubbed the London film premiere of the player's film last Monday.
Ronaldo goes into the game against Barcelona having failed to score in 12 of the 18 games he has played for club and country this season but the seeds of separation have more to do with the player's relationship with the club than his form.
They are rooted in Real Madrid's desire to cash-in on a player who will be 31 by the end of the season but would still command a huge fee in the transfer market.
The first cracks appeared in the Real–Ronaldo relationship at the end of last season when the player publicly called the club out for the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti.
Ronaldo tweeted: 'Great coach and amazing person. Hope we work together next season', along with a photograph of himself and Ancelotti before the sacking was confirmed.
Players and staff at the club already knew that Ancelotti would not be kept on and it was seen as a clear message to the president who had decided to fire the Italian and hire Rafa Benitez.
If the club thought Ronaldo was taking them on over Benitez's appointment, the player interpreted the new manager's comments in much the same way when Benitez made a point on several occasions in press conferences of refusing to say that he thought Ronaldo was the best player, first at the club, and then, that he had coached.
Ronaldo's relationship with Benitez is strained by footballing differences. The 55-year-old Spaniard has shown no intention of building the team around Ronaldo or playing the attacking style of football he thrives on.
'We played too deep,' said Ronaldo as he walked off the pitch after Real Madrid's defeat last week against Sevilla. The comment was made to Sergio Ramos but it was directed at Benitez whose team had looked to defend a 1-0 lead and lost 3-1.
The player's form has suffered as a consequence. He failed to get a single touch of the ball in the Paris Saint-Germain penalty area in Real Madrid's last home Champions League game against the French side.
That match was marked by two very visible shows of cordiality first between Ronaldo and PSG coach Laurent Blanc, and then with the visitors' chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
And they came after Real Madrid president Florentino Perez had given Ronaldo a very public ticking off in front of rolling cameras as he climbed off the team bus – confronting him over comments he made to Kicker magazine suggesting he could not be sure he would stay at the club at the end of the seaon.
Publicly Real have made out to be upset by the doubts expressed by Ronaldo but privately they are hopeful of finding a buyer who will come as close as possible to the £80million they paid for him six years ago.
They want to rebuild and a Ronaldo windfall will help them do that. Despite not attending the London premiere of his film Real Madrid are aware of its content.
Last season Ronaldo caused controversy when he had a high profile 30th birthday party the night Real Madrid had been beaten 4-0 by Atletico Madrid. Some at the club were not pleased to see footage from that party in the film.
Ronaldo has publicly admitted not wanting to move to Qatar or MLS yet and believes he has another four years at the top in European football. 'I want to finish with dignity' he said this week.
As his relationship with Real Madrid becomes ever more difficult a dignified finale to an extraordinary career in European football looks increasingly like it will come easier to him if he leaves the club.