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**Jangle** · June 12, 2009, 09:42 AM

Here are some comments:

i think we should buy ribery and benzeman ribery new no,7 and benzema to replace tevez
- dean, truro england, 12/6/2009 13:10
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Vandersar
Brown Ferdinand Vidic Evra
Hargreaves Carrick
Robben Ribery
<--Rooney-->
Berbatov

This Will Work
- mandevilutd, eve base, 12/6/2009 12:45
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Ribery is NOT worth 65 million, however I think Ronaldo IS worth 80, I'd only pay around 40 max or Ribery but he would be a great buy and we should go all out to get him.

Benzema has been awesome at Lyon for years now but can he hack it in the Premier League? I hope so.
- Lee, Manchester, UK, 12/6/2009 12:13
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I wonder if the Ronaldo deal was known to the team the night they played in Rome? I have never seen such a change in the way the team played as opposed to all their previous CL games. They played like their morale had just got deflated.
Anyway, I'm glad to see him go. I trust SAF's judgement. He'll do the right thing.
PS: Don't give up on Berba
- Allen H., Freeport, Maine USA, 12/6/2009 11:59
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Getting 80M for Ronaldo is great. But to then go and spend 65M on Ribery, who is older, not as good and no experience of playing in a big league, let alone the Premier League would be the craziest thing of this whole saga!! That would leave you with 15M left plus Fergies 20M that they would have given him anyway!! Then go waste that on Benzema!! Those 2 will not get the goals that Ron got. The only way to compensate for Ron's loss is to play Rooney in his best position and build the team around him!
- Antony Bax, Birmingham, 12/6/2009 11:46
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I think fargy has done good to let Ronaldo go, Its good for player to have different atmosphare, But I would aurge fargy to make sure he brings Ribery and Benzema to the theatre of dreams I will be happy to here that these guys are part of the team that will take the league next season and no dout about that
- peter opiyo luomba, Kenya, 12/6/2009 11:20

**Jangle** · June 12, 2009, 09:51 AM

This one's for you Mr. President

Do players always go downhill after leaving Manchester United? Our verdict on five other big names that have departed

By Nick Metcalfe
Last updated at 1:47 PM on 12th June 2009

Manchester United's announcement that they had accepted an £80m offer from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo has been the talk of football for the last couple of days.
The final decision to sell is said to have made by United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
It certainly isn't the first time that Ferguson has sold one of United's prized assets, and here we remember five other top players that left Old Trafford.
How did it work out, and were the players sold at the right time?

DO YOU AGREE WITH OUR VERDICTS? HAVE YOUR SAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS ARTICLE

PAUL INCE

A top player for United and a vital cog in the machine of what many supporters still regard as the finest of the Ferguson years - the 1994 double winners.
The combative midfielder signed in 1989, won the FA Cup in his first season and the pots pretty much kept coming.
It was known however that Ince and Ferguson had a difficult and at times tempestuous relationship.
And the Scot's mood would hardly have improved when United lost both the league title on the last day of the season in 1995 and the FA Cup final to Everton (United were generally poor that day but Ince was nowhere to be seen).

Paul Ince left Manchester United for Inter in 1995

United fans weren't too happy that summer however, when Ferguson sold Ince to Inter for £7.5m - especially when his replacement was the inexperienced Nicky Butt.
But we all know what happened next - Fergie's marvellous youngsters stunned English football with a superb double.
Ince was half decent for Inter, and later Liverpool, but the wonderful benefit of hindsight has shown us that Ferguson got the best from Ince, and knew when to sell.
Verdict: United enjoyed the best years of Ince. The decision to sell him was brave, but time has proved correct

ANDREI KANCHELSKIS

A lovely player and again an important part of that thrilling Ferguson team that won the double in 1994.
In his four years with the club the Ukrainian delighted supporters with his exciting wing play and brilliant goals.
But Ferguson felt the time was right to sell Kanchelskis in the summer of 1995 (along with Ince and great United favourite Mark Hughes).
Supporters wondered quite what Fergie was up to as he sold the player to Everton for £5m, but he certainly had the last laugh.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson sold Andrei Kanchelskis to Everton

Kanchelskis was first class for Everton, particularly in his first season when 16 goals helped the Merseysiders to sixth place, but the pots were being won at the other end of the East Lancs Road.
After that first season at Goodison Park he never properly recaptured the form of his United years, and again it seems Ferguson got the best out of him.
Verdict: You have to say Sir Alex sold him at a pretty good time. United went on to dominate the game while the Ukrainian was never quite the same again

DAVID BECKHAM

There was a lot of nonsense talked by some United supporters when David Beckham was sold.
Make no bones about it: Beckham was a magnificent player for United, one of the finest of the Ferguson years.
Breaking through as part of the team that 'couldn't win anything with kids' (copyright Mr A Hansen esquire) he gave United eight memorabe years of first team action, with his and the club's finest hour coming with the 1999 treble. And he was still a superb influential player in 2003.

But the manager seemed to tire of the whole roadshow surrounding the player - the 'Beckham brand' if you will.
And when that famous boot accidentally caught Beckham in the boat race after United's FA Cup exit against Arsenal the writing was on the wall, and Ferguson sold the midfielder to Real Madrid for £25 million.

David Beckham left United for Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2003

In many ways Beckham is still going strong of course (who writes his scripts?) - he looks likely to travel to his fourth World Cup next summer for one thing and turns out for AC Milan when he fancies.

But for a man used to silver at Old Trafford, he only won one Spanish league title in a frustrating four years at Real Madrid.
Admittedly United went through a relatively lean period in those years, but still weighed in with a league title, FA Cup and League Cup. 3-1 to United then.
Verdict: Beckham ideally would have played for a couple more seasons at United, but the relationship between him and Ferguson had soured to such an extenct that that the decision to sell probably had to be taken

JAAP STAM

Sir Alex admits to a mistake here, and tis true that United could have had a fair few seasons more of quality from the brilliant defender.
An extremely popular player with United supporters (I can still hear 'Jip Jaap Stam was a big Dutchman' in my head from that extraordinary week in and around Barcelona in 1999) and a towering presence in the defence that helped Ferguson to land his historic treble.
United won three successive league titles during Stam's time with the club, but you cross the gaffer at your peril and Stam's autobiography lit the touchpaper in a big way.
Stam claimed among other things that he was illegally tapped up before being brought from PSV Eindhoven and that the United manager had told his players to dive to win penalties.

Jaap Stam controversially joined Lazio from United in 2001

A furious Ferguson decided to sell the defender to Lazio for £16.5m in 2001 [folklore has it that Ferguson told Stam to enjoy his final match as it would be 'his last game playing for the club'].
Stam went on to play for six more years, with spells at AC Milan and Ajax after his time in Rome.
A few years back Ferguson admitted: 'At the time he had just come back from an Achilles injury and we thought he had just lost a little bit.
'We got the offer from Lazio, £16.5m for a centre-back who was 29. It was an offer I couldn't refuse. But in playing terms it was a mistake. He is still playing for Ajax at a really good level.'
Verdict: Sold too early. Could have played for United for maybe three or four more years

RUUD VAN NISTELROOY

A player that seems to divide United supporters.
Nobody can doubt he was a prolific goalscorer, with 150 goals in 220 appearances (with his 38 in Europe a club record).
You could argue that he was slightly unfortunate to play during a time when United weren't completely dominating the game (there was Mr Abramovich arriving at Chelsea for one thing) but it has to be said United won one league title in five seasons with van Nistelrooy. I've doen the math and that makes it 10 in 12 without him.
Things didn't seem to be right for one reason or another in 2006. Ferguson left him out of his starting line-up for United's League Cup final with Wigan. There were reports of a training ground bust-up with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ruud van Nistelrooy was a prolific striker for Manchester United but Sir Alex decided the time was right to sell to Real Madrid in 2006

When Real Madrid came knocking that summer, Ferguson opened the door for the Dutchman to leave.
Van Nistelrooy has done well with the Spanish giants, and is a popular figure with their demanding public but just look at what you could have won Ruud.
United have been rampant and magnificent in the three years since the striker departed, with a hat-trick of league titles and a European Cup safely engraved on the roll of honour.
There would appear to be little doubt that his exit paved the way for Ferguson to reshape his team for the 2006-07 season, where United put a stop to what threatened to become a mini-era of success for Chelsea.
Verdict: Nobody can take away Van Nistelrooy's record, but a masterstroke to sell. United reshaped their formation in 2006 and haven't looked back since.

**Karl** · June 12, 2009, 10:17 AM

United could become stronger without Ronaldo!!!

...not so sure if they can without Tevez????

**Jangle** · June 12, 2009, 10:32 AM

He simply destroyed us ... and we kept begging Fergie to sign him up

[updated]

There is a myth attached to Manchester United's signing of Cristiano Ronaldo that suggests Sir Alex Ferguson only became aware of the Portuguese 18-year-old's precocious talent on seeing him tear his defenders to shreds during a pre-season friendly in Lisbon in August 2003.
The truth is Ferguson, along with Arsenal and Liverpool, had been trailing the unknown teenager for 12 months and already had a first-refusal arrangement in place with Sporting Lisbon.
What that night in the Jose Alvalade stadium did do, however, was subject Ferguson to an almost unprecedented torrent of urging and insistence from his own players.

Growth of a phenomenon: Eight-month-old Ronaldo at home in Madeira; and making his first communion aged 10

Former United midfielder Quinton Fortune said last night: 'We sat in the dressing room after the 3-1 defeat and we were just raving about him. Why wouldn't we? He was unbelievable. Most of us had never seen anyone with such a swagger.'
On the flight home to Manchester that night, Ferguson had to listen to more of the same.
[related]

'They wouldn't shut up about it,' said Ferguson with a smile recently. 'They just kept telling me to sign him. In truth. I had realised that night that Ronaldo's secret was now out. We had to get it done.'
United's subsequent outlay of £12million for the teenager seemed steep. But, almost six years on, the English champions are about to record a profit of £68m.
Boy wonder: 18-year-old Ronaldo shows the skills that earned him a move to Old Trafford from Sporting Lisbon

That, in itself, says everything for the profound and unforgettable impact Ronaldo has had not only on United but on the Barclays Premier League and football across the world.

It is unfortunate that Ronaldo is leaving behind such little goodwill, that his outstanding gifts as a footballer will - in the eyes of many - pale when they recall his posturing, penchant for diving and perceived arrogance.
For he was, and indeed still is, one of the most spellbinding attacking players of the modern game.
The great Johan Cruyff has gone on record to suggest Ronaldo's contribution at Old Trafford eclipsed that of Denis Law and George Best.
The other member of United's 'Holy Trinity' of the Sixties, Sir Bobby Charlton, has also been lavish in his praise.
'It was paradise watching George play, just as it is now with Cristiano,' said Sir Bobby, after Ronaldo picked up the World Player of the Year award last season.
'The difference is that Ronaldo is stronger and faster. He is one of our club's greatest ever players, no doubt about that.'
To understand fully Ronaldo's impact on United's return to the pinnacle of European football, it is necessary to look at where they were when he arrived.
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They had won the Premier League the previous season but, by Ferguson's own admission, had struggled to find the attacking verve that had swept them to Champions League glory in 1999. They had also just lost David Beckham to Real Madrid.

With the arrival of Wayne Rooney still a year away, Ferguson and his team needed fresh impetus.
United's marketing men also needed another superstar to help them shift shirts. As it transpired, Ronaldo was to give United the complete package.
As marketable as Beckham? Not quite. As useful on the field? Definitely.
English football watchers did not get to see Ronaldo in the flesh until his debut as a substitute in a 4-0 home win over Bolton that marked the start of the 2003-04 season.
He played for 30 minutes and in many ways that cameo showcased the best and worst of what was to come. 'Some of the things he did on the ball were unbelievable that day,' said Ryan Giggs.
'He dazzled a tired defence with a brilliant display of pace and skill. He did tend to overdo the stepover a bit, though.'
Also in evidence that day was the showboating that was to irritate and infuriate team-mates and manager through his six years at Old Trafford.
He also spent a fair amount of his half-hour appearance on the ground. With Ronaldo, even as he grew older and wiser, it was always to be this way.

Magical night: Ronaldo with the European Cup after Manchester United's win over Chelsea in Moscow

It was hard to love him, even if you wanted to. Equally, it was just as hard to ignore him.
His football grew steadily more effective and intelligent as he flourished under the guidance of Ferguson and his Portuguese assistant, Carlos Queiroz.
There were moments of controversy as United's progress threatened to stall during their dismal 2005-06 campaign, Giggs epitomising the United dressing room's occasional frustration with their most precocious member by asking 'What about that lazy w****r?' when substituted during a European game.
That year's World Cup also brought Ronaldo into further confrontation with players close to home as he was seen encouraging a referee to send off Rooney during a quarter-final meeting between England and Portugal in Gelsenkirchen.
Already tired of English food, weather and drinking habits, the predictable backlash briefly caused him to consider a future away from Old Trafford.

Ronaldo with the Golden Boot as Europe’s top scorer in October, and celebrating United’s Premier League title triumph with mum Dolores last month

But Ferguson steered his protege back on course, and momentum built towards the staggering 2007-08 season in which Ronaldo scored 42 goals in propelling United towards a second successive league title and their first Champions League triumph for nine years.
Some of his contributions that year will never be forgotten. A backheeled goal against Aston Villa stands out, as do a number of freekicks that eclipsed all but the best of the Beckham back catalogue.
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Buried beneath it all were Ronaldo's poor manners, a disregard for team ethics and an almost suffocating growth in his own self importance.
I once saw him speak to a female club employee in front of journalists in a manner that would have brought Ferguson's blood to boiling point.
It is also the case that Ferguson had increasingly to build his tactics around Ronaldo - as much as to accommodate his shortcomings when United did not have the ball as to maximise his effectiveness when they did. This was especially true in Europe.
His legacy will, however, endure. I have never viewed Ronaldo as United's most important player. That distinction, in my view, belongs to Rooney.
He was, however, part of something special at Old Trafford, a leading light in the club's third coming under Ferguson.
United would not be where they are now without Cristiano Ronaldo. Love him or hate him, we will miss him now that he has gone.

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