Social media has been a blessing for athletes, because they have allowed them to talk to the world directly. No filters, no public relations, no decontextualized appointments. Only clarity. And someone would have told the team that uses the official accounts of Cristiano Ronaldo. Because even after his post on Instagram on Tuesday night surpassed 12 million “likes,” he ends up arousing more questions than answers.
With so much rumor, so much speculation coming in via the transfer window, it’s normal for both club and player to look for the ideal situations to react to. However, when using social rollers, they are expected to do so in a way that clarifies the message because it is digested unambiguously. Ronaldo’s post failed in this regard.
We analyze the case in detail, with your permission.
The previous event is that Ronaldo’s contract with Juventus, which pays him $ 80 million per campaign, expires after the season. He has been a productive figure and comes from his best campaign in Serie A, but also turns 37 in February, which is why the club is not in trouble to extend Ronaldo’s contract.
The other reason, of course, is that Juve recorded huge financial losses valued at $ 300 million over the last two seasons. So it was speculated during the spring that if Ronaldo was willing to leave the club, Juventus would not stop the move, especially if he could charge a modest price (Italian media estimated it would be $ 30 million, or the residual amortization in their accounting books). True, they would lose one of the best players of all time, but they would save the cost of their salary instantly, instead of having to wait until he became a free agent in the summer, without receiving anything. in exchange.
Cristiano’s reaction was motivated by an appearance on the Spanish television program “El Xiringuito de Jugones” by Edu Aguirre, a journalist from that country. On Monday morning (local time), Edu reported that Carlo Ancelotti maintained regular contacts with Cristiano (Player with whom he has a “wonderful” relationship) and his environment, wanting to bring him back to Real Madrid.
There is a reason why Aguirre had, at least at first, more credibility than the average TV talk show host. I do not know Aguirre in person, but it is valid to say that he and Cristiano appear to have a close relationship. The journalist account on Instagram is full of photos of the two posing together. The most recent, dated mid-July, shows them both shirtless at some sort of holiday destination (obviously).
But there is more. Edu and Cristiano celebrating the player’s fifth Golden Ball on the court! Edu visiting Cristiano to see him play for Juventus! Edu and Cristiano, hugged for a selfie! Edu and Cristiano, together in Dubai! Edu and Cristiano, on two large jet skis! Edu and Cristiano, celebrating in Kiev the victory in the Champions! Edu and Cristiano, changing tennis to put on football boots next to a giant brown ball! ‘Edu and Cristiano, putting together the gala of the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai! Edu and Christian, in what appears to be a Spiderman-themed birthday party!
Even Edu looks a bit like Cristiano or, to be more precise, a subject who tries to look like Cristiano. The reporter has chocolate abs, defined biceps and Cristiano’s smile. Of course, his Instagram account is called EduAguirre7; coincidentally, the same number as Cristiano’s number.
There is no doubt that Edu likes Christian. A lot. He even starts to cry when he speaks Christian. And, at least until a month ago, it’s clear that (judging by his Instagram) he had more access to it than 99.99 percent of the world’s population; reason why a reasonable person would take him seriously. And that’s why it was a little surprising to read Cristiano referring to the “recent episode in Spain” and how he can’t “allow people to keep playing with his name”.
Does this mean that your friend Edu acted quickly? Did Edu invent things, or at least exaggerate them? Did they stop being friends?
We do not know. We don’t know because his post on Instagram doesn’t tell us anything about it. We only know that he is focused on his work, committed and ready for all the challenges to come, and that the rest are just reasonings. And he manages to say all this without at least mentioning the team for which he currently plays, with which he has a contract signed until June 30, 2022: Juventus.
On Tuesday afternoon, Ancelotti he took to Twitter to deny the information transmitted to “El Xiringuito”. He expressed that Cristiano was a legend of Madrid and that he has all his affection and respect; however, he clarified that he had never considered bringing it back to the meringue squad and that he was looking “forward”. I don’t know if Ronaldo’s partner, Georgina Rodríguez, has a social media team, or if she posts on her own; although perhaps these are the same guys who run Cristiano’s networks, because this one didn’t bring any more clarity either, reacting to Ancelotti’s post with a “hahahahaha.”
Well, Georgina: where’s the joke? Did you laugh at the idea that Cristiano could return to Madrid? Or maybe your laughter implies that Ancelotti is lying about saying “I never considered signing”? We do not know; but being the last, then we can believe by association that poor Edu Aguirre was telling the truth, right? So Cristiano may not have gotten mad at him, can he? Or is it? I have no idea. No one has an idea, with the possible exception of Cristiano, Georgina and their family and friends (including Edu … or maybe not).
And while Cristiano doesn’t like that much talk, it’s inevitable that people will talk, simply because one of the greatest players in world football history will become a free agent next June. Not only that, but his club has also lost more than $ 300 million over the past two seasons and he represents a significant portion of the payroll, earning about $ 80 million a year. He is also a Real Madrid legend, with a close connection with the club (as mentioned by the same player in his post on networks) and who maintains a close relationship with Ancelotti.
This whole episode has generated two matrices of speculation. The first is that there is a kind of great design. Under this scenario, Ancelotti wants to concretize the return of Cristiano (probably as an alternative to Kylian Mbappe), Juventus realizes that perhaps it is better to receive some money already and significantly reduce the payroll, instead of leaving it to the June for nothing. And Cristiano would not mind returning to the Santiago Bernabéu. But, as is obvious, the pandemic strongly affected everyone, the Portuguese did not exactly leave Madrid on good terms with President Florentino Pérez, Mbappé remains a target and therefore, care must be taken.
Then, you make Edu float the idea, you feel the reaction, you allow Ancelotti to deny everything (“hey, it was true right now!”) And write an extensive post on Instagram in the form of a love letter to the Madrid players without mention his current employer in Italy. Then sit back and see what reactions you generate in Madrid and Turin. Maybe there are enough clues to help make everything a reality. Maybe he and Mbappé (who wallpapered the walls of his room with Cristiano posters when the Frenchman was just a child) could play together the next campaign.
3:47
Andrés Agulla thinks that while the white team sells the idea of not having money to hire, it is actually ready to make big hires.
Another element that strengthens this last theory is the source: Edu Aguirre. I don’t know him, but I do know that when a journalist is so close to a source, it doesn’t make sense to betray their trust so deliberately. This is the reason I am inclined to believe that I was reporting information that had been given to me, and what if Cristiano and Ancelotti are constantly talking on the phone? Well, I would venture to say that Edu knows the situation from Cristiano’s side. After all, it’s Cristiano’s chocolate abdomen that appears in Edu’s band on his Instagram account. Not that of Ancelotti.
Could it be that they sacrificed Edu to float the idea? Of course. It would make sense, even if my instinct tells me otherwise. The many years I have been covering this sport have taught me that, on multiple occasions, things are not as calculated as they seem and not everything happens intentionally.
And that introduces us to the second scenario. Anceotti and Ronaldo continue to communicate by text from time to time, Edu was excited by others to share the news, and Georgina and Ronaldo (or their social media teams) do not have the skills to convey their messages with more efficiency.
Everything else is categorized as speculation, which is supposed to be what bothers Ronaldo the most, and what his message on social media had to silence.