The Devil In Me

After being read its umpteenth bedtime story the energetic whippersnapper that is the ‘Ronaldo to Real Madrid transfer saga’ has finally been put to bed. Creeping quietly out of the room so as not to reawaken it, the natural parent, Ronaldo himself, has popped downstairs to have a no-holds-barred chat with a Portugese newspaper.

Thedevilinme was recently given 90 minutes notice to leave the country where he is currently working and is not an easy man to surprise nowadays - yet that boy Ronaldo seems to have done it again. He came across as honest, forthright, apologetic and, dare I say it, even a little intelligent.

This interview has been a massive eye-opener. Of course the plankton in London, Liverpool and elsewhere will still boo him and make hideous accusations about his character but he has gone up in my estimation immeasurably. What other modern player would state frankly ‘this has all been my fault?’ Who would state their gratitude to the club who have reared him? Certainly not Gareth Barry, and he doesn’t get anything like the abuse Cristiano gets.

MUTV are currently showing a program entitled ‘42’, unsurprisingly a highlights reel of the boy wonder’s goals last season. The range of the goals is stunning, even on the third or fourth viewing, and it watches not dissimilarly to a ‘best of’ selection of George Best’s work.

In the interview he also said that it has been a childhood dream of his to play for Real and that he would also like to be closer to his family. Those are the precise pretences that we used to bring Owen Hargreaves over from Bayern so fair enough really.

We now know for certain that he is staying and that he will go to Real at some point. I don’t think that changes the situation at all from 12 months ago but one thing has. Even after all he has put us through this summer, I completely forgive the guy. Having the guts to talk-straight with the newspaper boys and be honest shows that the man has character, Cantona-esque character. Welcome home Cristiano