Will Ronaldo Really Take His Taxes Back to Man Utd?
Cristiano Ronaldo has this tax-fraud conviction thing all wrong.
Spain's got a cool policy for prison sentences of less than two years.
No one goes inside. He's seen this first-hand.
It's like the Spanish have their own version of a Get Out of Jail Free card.
Dude's spent a minute in the United Kingdom, where if he got hit for a similar sentence, Her Majesty's government would wanna see at least nine months outta him.
Spain's definitely the place to be.
But, despite logic, the 32-year-old Portuguese international's got a mindset.
That rumored €1billion buyout is surely negotiable, as Los Blancos would calculate what it'd cost to replace him and do a deal quickly if he's absolutely hellbent on leaving.
If Manchester United is the leader in his heart right now, not only would the Red Devils have to pay the transfer fee, they'd be paying him £400,000 weekly for his services.
United's got it to do it, of course:
- They're estimating their 2016-2017 season's revenues at £570million;
- They've already taken Zlatan Ibrahimović off their books after realizing good value for his services; and
- They're probably not too far away from doing the same with Wayne Rooney.
Also figuring into the equation is the commercial windfall that will accompany Ronaldo wherever he goes.
That windfall is why there may be more than two suitors if Ronaldo's serious.
Bayern Munich could be interested. With or without him, they've likely got a stranglehold on the Bundesliga, but Die Roten could use a boost in their Champions League fortunes. Having Ronaldo in their colors should do the trick.
And then there's those wacky dudes from China.
Still, their league is viewed similarly to the MLS; it's a hospice for aging football careers.
Even more mitigating is the quality of play sucks. As of this writing, FIFA's ranking system puts China No 82 in the world:
Nice company surrounding them. Maybe they can organize a group picnic and watch the World Cup together.
Still, don't be surprised to hear China's rolled up a convoy of armored cars outside Ronaldo's villa.
However, if he's tempted, it'd be good to write a tax waiver into his deal. The Chinese penal code is no joke.