INSIDE the mind of Cristiano Ronaldo!

'He loves us. He loves us not. He loves us. He loves us not.........' If you are a 'hardcore' Manchester United fan, then the last few weeks might have very well been torture. Hardly the sort of emotion you should be experiencing at the end of a remarkable season, culminating in a famous DOUBLE. Romantic poets might refer to that as 'transience' but any plainspeaker will say- 'It is Cristiano Ronaldo.'

Truly, isn't one given the allowance to call the Portuguese winger a traitor, an ungrateful headline seeker, glory hunter.......(you get the hint!)? After all, he was little more than precocious talent when the wily Scot Sir Alex Fergusson spotted his talents, supposedly overpaid for him and got him to Old Trafford. A few seasons on, you could be forgiven for supposing that this guy would go on to surpass Sir Bobby Charlton as a United legend. Prolific in front of goal, as charismatic as they come and Sir Alex's talisman of the season was and still is a sure shot for the 'World Player of the year' title. However, all this gets thrown out of the backdoor when he supposedly confirms that he wants to wear a Real Madrid shirt. Surely, he isn't the first Portuguese player to have dreamt of walking into the Santiago Berneabau(spelt right?) in its famous whites.

So, where is the problem? I tell you- Ronny isn't going anywhere this season. He will take on Manchester United one fine night at Madrid with the crowds behind him, but that night isn't snapping at our and his heels just as yet. Most news channels, newspapers and websites revel in sensationalising tidbits. And that fact should not be forgotten easily. Very often, a reply of a 'yes' is deemed 'headline' or 'breaking news' material. It's true that he does not want to meet Sir Alex now, but that should have been obvious - to a proud and confident Portuguese national superstar, anything which could prove to be a distraction during Euro 2008 must be a strict no-no. And a visit from his United boss at this tricky period could be precisely so, knowing very well Fergie's state of mind. I admit that Ronaldo might be confused at this point in time, but in all likelihood he will be training hard with Messrs Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand on, say August 20th. Afterall, one mustn't forget that Real might be a temptation to a young boy(now, can he be called that any longer?) who dreamt of a Madrid lifestyle while toiling away with a football, drunken father unable to make ends meet at home. But, when a mature, sensible and ambitious footballer begins to weigh the odds at the end of the Euros, he will come to realise that he is much better off playing for the current European Champions under Sir Alex's watchful eye rather than at a place full of uncertainties that is Real Madrid football club. Till then the rumour mills will be hyperactive. Or maybe, the action during the Euros might just take centre-stage. And that may not be such a bad thing afterall!