Is it the right time for the Red Devils to flog their biggest asset?

Despite Sir Alex Ferguson’s vitriolic insistence that he wouldn’t sell Real Madrid a virus, it seems that Manchester Utd have finally caved to the wishes of their star player, and agreed to sell him to their Spanish rivals.

It many respects, it’s a very sensible time for Ronaldo to depart - for starters, the preposterous £80m bid is an excellent return on a player who cost just £12.3m in 2003. The Portuguese star has made absolutely no secret of his desire to play at the Bernebeu, his petulance and humongous ego often threaten to get in the way of his game, and he would probably ask for a similar move at the end of each forthcoming season until he got his own way.

However, some might say it’s a mistake to part with the tricky winger at this stage. No other player in the world could possibly contribute as many goals from a wide forward position (alright, maybe Leo Messi), and his tenacity is as unfaltering as his winning mentality. Also, what does it say about Utd’s ambitions if they are happy to sell their best player to a team who have done very little on the big stage in recent years?

So, were Utd right to accept the bid, or should they have held on to their want-away star for a little while longer? Let us know your thoughts below…

Striker has terrible record against Los Blancos

Liverpool will rely upon the firing power of their delicate-hamstringed Spaniard when they visit the Bernebeu tonight, but the Spanish press has been making a huge deal over his “Real Madrid curse”.

Despite playing in nine Madrid derbies, Nando has never played in a side that has defeated Real Madrid. He has suffered five defeats and four draws against Los Blancos, and his only goal at the Bernebeu came during a friendly in 2002.

To make matters worse, Madrid’s scary-looking defender Pepe has made no secret of his desire to knock the Liverpool striker about a bit:

“We are both strong but I have a big advantage in that he’s got to play with the ball and I don’t. The bigger, stronger and better my opponent the more I like the clash.

“Football’s a contact sport and strikers often give defenders like me a right good kicking off the ball and nobody says anything because we centre-halves are tough. But as long as I go for the ball and not the man, then there’s nothing better than using all the time I’ve spent in the gym to crash into bodies.”