It is no secret that Manchester United would be willing to spend a small fortune in order to lure Gareth Bale away from Real Madrid to get him back to the Premier League. There have been reports that United would be willing to spend over 100 million Euros in order to get that done. However, Bale has made it clear that he loves playing in Spain and that he has no interest in a move to Old Trafford. There has been a lot of talk about the direction both clubs could be headed in the near future but one other idea that has been floated around is Real Madrid offering another player to United: Cristiano Ronaldo. While he’s among soccer’s biggest superstars and is seemingly untouchable, given the right circumstance, it may make more sense that Real Madrid sells him off instead of Bale. As outlandish as it sounds, here’s why it makes sense for Real Madrid to keep Bale and move Ronaldo.
Biological Clock Is Ticking
There is no denying that Ronaldo is a brand power unlike many others in soccer. However, when it comes to a pure soccer standpoint moving Ronaldo instead of Bale makes sense for a variety of reasons. Ronaldo is coming off the best statistical season of his career but he is also turning 30-years-old while Bale is just 25. Ronaldo has been able to stay healthy for the most part but the incredible amount of challenges he takes will eventually catch up to him and we saw that at the World Cup when his game was hindered by knee injuries while representing Portugal. The biological clock is ticking for Ronaldo and with a level of uncertainty surrounding how much longer he can continue to play at this elite level, it might make more sense to sell high. In doing so, Real Madrid would also pushing a player who is still ascending into the spotlight rather than a superstar nearing a decline.
Is Bale The Ronaldo Of The Future?
Real Madrid could still keep both players for the remainder of this season with a chance to chase both a La Liga and Champions League titles before making a decision on who to part with at the end of the year. That means allowing Ronaldo to complete his incredible season and perhaps deliver more hardware. However, what they have in Ronaldo now could be a glimpse of what Bale could bring in the future as he is just coming in to his prime. While he may never reach the level that Ronaldo is at now, the idea of what Bale could bring over the next five years at a lower price might be better than the risk that accompanies holding on to Ronaldo for the long term. And don’t forget, Real Madrid could spend that extra money on acquiring another asset, so it’s really Bale and someone else versus Ronaldo. The former sounds much better than the latter.
Ronaldo’s Value Will Never Be Better
It might also make more sense from a financial standpoint for Real Madrid to move Ronaldo rather than Bale because Ronaldo is at the peak of his career and after securing successive Ballon d’Or awards, so the value he would demand is probably higher than what Bale would command on the open market. United has already made it clear they are willing to spend more than 100 million Euros on Bale, so what would they be willing to pay for Ronaldo? Nobody will argue that Ronaldo is a better player at this point in time but that isn’t what this is about. Ronaldo’s age and dollar value make him the smart choice for Real Madrid to move should they decide to move anyone at all. It makes much more sense to take the money for the advancing superstar and then build around the younger Bale at a lower price and with a longer future window.
