Looks like Real defender Christoph Metzelder is less than enchanted with Ronaldo’s price tag.
This is significant because it is the first sign of player dissent. Public opinion against the deal is something that Florentino Perez can handle. Having Joan Laporta speak out against this transfer is entirely understandable. But this is entirely different. Ronaldo’s future team mate vocalizing what is on his mind and probably a few others! All it takes is one or two players to express the same unease and we might see the first casualties of the Ronaldo effect.
Team mates always deal with players who are more valued but even a team like Real with its fair share of high priced transfers is feeling pressured. They have to whittle their egos down, deal with feelings of depersonalization. These anxieties probably filter down to the medical staff needing to be hyper vigilant with Ronaldo’s health. A giant price tag needs round the clock protection.
This is not altogether unlike the Beckham hype at the Galaxy, where concerns were raised over his household name and record compensation negatively impacting his relationship with relatively unknown team mates. Frank Yallop’s resignation was partly the result of his inability to deal with these skewed team dynamics.
Manuel Pellegrini has his first challenge on hand with Ronaldo yet to arrive.