10 Shocking Man Utd Departures That Nobody Expected
4. Cristiano Ronaldo
Lets set the record straight - this surely was not a surprise, as it was quite simply the worst-kept secret in world football for the previous year. Manchester United hero Cristiano Ronaldo had made no secret of his desire to quit the club for Real Madrid following Euro 2008, even comparing himself to a slave, as he tried to force through a move to the club of his dreams. So, why on earth does it make this list? The pantomime transfer saga bore a lot of similarities to Liverpool starlet Luis Suarez exit from Liverpool this summer. Following the end of the 12/13 season, the Uruguayan instantly signalled his desire to leave the club, indicating his desire to sign on the dotted line at the Bernabeu. However, Brendan Rodgers did well to beat off competition and hang on to the talisman, before supporters virtually were lulled into a false sense of security regarding the Uruguayans future, with Suarez himself offering empty promises of staying at the club. It was a script lifted straight from the table of the Ronaldo fiasco of five years earlier. In an almost identical fashion to the biting phenomenon, Ronaldo spent the 08/09 season banging in the goals, and pledging his future to his club, waiving interest from Real Madrid.
''I am staying at Manchester United. Manchester is my home. My heart is here. This is where I want to play. The boss believes in this team and so do I. Ever since I joined United, he has been like a second father to me. People are still going to speak and make things up. But this is where I want to play. Manchester United is now my house. - Cristiano Ronaldo, May 2009.
With Ferguson echoing his sentiments, claiming the Portuguese superstar had given no indication that he wants to go and there hasnt been a whisper of contact from Real, Old Trafford supporters finally relaxed. They had seemingly weathered the storm. 28 days later, it was announced that a world record fee of £80 million had been agreed for the superstar, and that he would link up with the Bernabeu outfit to become the most expensive footballer in history. Judging by that desperate come-home plane stunt the fans pulled last weekend, it seems that it was a shell-shocking transfer that they still havent come to terms with.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
