Robinho Burns Bridges at Real Madrid

He's been unsettled all summer. Who would have guessed that Real Madrid's chasing of Cristiano Ronaldo would have the effect not of bringing the Portuguese winger to the club, but instead driving away one of its most popular stars?

It's been on the cards since Wagner Ribeiro, Robinho's agent, said last month that the player felt "undervalued" and that there was interest from Chelsea. However, Robinho himself has kept quiet on the issue, at least in public. Until today.

In an interview with Spanish news agency EFE, Robinho has finally said publicly that he wants to leave Real Madrid for Chelsea.

In a move calculated to put pressure on the Real Madrid President and board, he will soon have the fans asking for him to leave with statements like:

"It's not for money. My personal objective is to be the best player in the World and that is not going to happen at Real Madrid. That's why I've set myself the target of playing in the English Premiership next season."

"I think my time at Real Madrid is at an end. I hope that the management reaches agreement with Chelsea to resolve my situation as soon as possible."

"I've never missed a training session at Real Madrid. I've trained every day and I will continue to do so. Whether I play or not [against Valencia in the Spanish Supercup this Sunday] I don't know, mainly because if I don't have a good game people can say it's because my mind is elsewhere. To avoid those kinds of comments, it's better for Schuster to pick other players."

"My message to the fans is thank you for your affection and the way you've treated me."

So now the ball is firmly in Calderón's court. He can keep Robinho at Real against his wishes but, after such a public statement, neither the fans nor his team mates will be very happy with him in the squad.

All of which plays to some extent into Chelsea's hands. Wagner Ribeiro said earlier this week that Real Madrid would be willing to sell Robinho to the London club for €40 million. I wonder if his price has now dropped somewhat.

View the original article at the All In White blog.