Cristiano Ronaldo Smart to Put Manchester United Flirtation Behind Him for Now

 At this point in the transfer window, there comes a point of acceptance even among the world's best clubs. With about a week remaining until the 2013-14 seasons begin across the world, the odds of seismic shifts in the paradigm are minimal.

That means players who requested transfers are more likely than not going to have an awkward dinner or two with teammates. That means teams who dangled their stars out for massive fees will have to invest maybe in a bouquet of flowers and a nice steak dinner to soothe the wounds. That means everyone is just going to have to suck it up and deal with their lot in life—no matter how untenable. 

Such is the case with Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid—whether either side truly wants it or not.

The Los Blancos superstar has been in transfer rumors dating back to the beginning of last season, when he revealed an unhappiness at the Bernabeu—one most assumed was related to his contract situation. Ronaldo's frustration festered throughout the season, with almost a complete lack of progress on the extension front.

While the jury is still out on who was leading the contentiousness, the overwhelming subplot of this situation was Manchester United lurking in the background. Ronaldo wore a red shirt from 2003 to 2009, where he grew into arguably the world's finest forward. He was sold to Madrid in the summer of 2009 for a world-record £80 million amid a request for a change of scenery.

While the situation grew tense with United fans and Ronaldo before he left, the years since have allowed both sides to realize what they were missing. United won two Premier League titles since his absence, but struggled to replicate the individual superstardom—even with Wayne Rooney standing as the face of the franchise.

In time, Ronaldo too began speaking fondly of his former stomping grounds. When Real eliminated United from Champions League this year, Ronaldo was quick to open up about the special moment he shared with fans at Old Trafford, per The Guardian's Jamie Jackson: 

"

It was an unbelievable night, a very emotional night and what the supporters did for me was massive. I am never going to forget that moment. For one side I feel happy, for Madrid to go through to the next round, but for the other side I feel a little bit sad because it is not easy to forget this home. I played for six years here and the people were very nice to me. I came here like a child. It was quite a strange feeling.

"

And so the rumors swelled. Every Madrid transfer possibility came with some fallout with Ronaldo. The club's flirtation with Gareth Bale must mean that Ronaldo's time with the club was over.

David Moyes, who took over for Sir Alex Ferguson this summer, was supposedly preparing an £80 million buyback on the superstar forward. Paired with Robin van Persie, Ronaldo would help lead United to back-to-back championships, so went the train of thought.

But June turned into July, which turned into August—just in case you didn't know how the Gregorian calendar works. With each passing week, folks became increasingly dubious of a move. If one of the two best players in the world were actually available, don't you think there would have been, I don't know, a couple extra suitors along the way?

Alas, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti essentially put the rumors to bed this week. Speaking with the Spanish newspaper AS (h/t Sky Sports), the Real skipper said in no uncertain terms that Ronaldo would be staying through the window—and that he'll likely be inking an extension.

"The player wants to renew his contract and the club want him to renew it too, so I don't think it's going to be a problem," Ancelotti said. 

"I think Cristiano and the club are relaxed about the issue," Ancelotti continued. "I don't know when it will happen, but I am certain that Cristiano is going to renew his contract with Madrid."

Whether that's politically correct bluster or not is uncertain. Real president Florentino Perez has been open about his desire to keep Ronaldo, but it's clear that the two sides still haven't come to terms on an agreement. 

"The situation still hasn't been resolved," Ronaldo said.

But what we can assume has been resolved—at least for now—is any chance of the Portuguese national returning to Old Trafford this season. Real continue to hold the majority of power in these negotiations. His contract runs through 2015, and Ronaldo has given no indication that he's going to submit his former transfer papers.

Most who don't get swept up in rumormania maintained all along that transfer this summer was unlikely. Real Madrid have finished second in four of the past five La Liga seasons.

Despite the signing of Neymar, F.C. Barcelona are arguably looking the most vulnerable they ever have in recent times. Their defense is still in need of fixing, and the club is still dealing with the tragedy of manager Tito Vilanova stepping down due to health issues. 

If there is one season the Spanish giants want to strong-arm Ronaldo into sticking around, it's this one.

They're in a great position to take the table and will become overwhelming favorites if they ever convince Tottenham to just take the damn money already. A Ronaldo-Bale attack would be transcendent. It would unequivocally topple any in the world. The duo would arguably make Madrid Champions League favorites to boot.

To contrast, Manchester United are still in the midst of a transition period. The English giants won Premier League last season but also saw the departure of Ferguson into retirement and the hiring of Moyes. Couple that with Rooney possibly on his way to Chelsea (h/t ESPN), and it's hard to argue that United are in a better situation at the moment. 

Ronaldo knows all of this. His representation has likely been privy to the negotiations on both sides since these rumors began, and he's been assessing his options throughout summer. If Ronaldo was truly over the moon about a return to Old Trafford, he would have been more vocal about it by now—much in the way he was when he wanted out in the first place. 

A year from now, when Ronaldo will undoubtedly still fetch a top-tier price, he will have a clearer purview. He will know how Moyes handled the pressures of following a legend. He will know whether Bale is his teammate and how things worked out. And assuming that Real lands Bale, the club will also be far more open to moving Ronaldo in the summer of 2014, when he'll be 29 and have a ready-made superstar available to take his throne. 

Ronaldo may return to Manchester United someday, it just won't be this summer. And, you know what? It's probably better for all sides that it ended up this way.

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