It seems many have jumped on the proverbial bandwagon when it comes to trashing Cristiano Ronaldo. Many are genuinely upset Manchester United fans who have taken an unfortunate hard-line approach, but others are just trash talking Ronaldo haters who have nothing better to do than to unleash their hate filled diatribe.
Still others point to the underhanded tactics of Real Madrid, chastising them for their relentless pursuit of Cristiano Ronaldo, calling it ruthless and uncivilized.
But wait a minute! Weren’t Manchester United involved in a bit of controversy of their own not too long ago? In fact, the case was so similar to that of Cristiano Ronaldo that it is no wonder that the Spin Doctors and hatemongers have distanced themselves from that very controversial set of events.
We’re talking about the pursuit of Owen Hargreaves. To refresh your memories, Canadian born Owen Hargreaves, with four years left on his contract with Bayern Munich, had like Ronaldo, aspirations of playing for another team. That team of course is none other than Manchester United. And much in the same way that Madrid is chasing Cristiano Ronaldo, Man Utd did so with him.
Quoting the Guardian:
Bayern’s determination to involve Fifa has been fuelled by reports of Hargreaves having face-to-face talks with Sir Alex Ferguson at United’s training ground the morning after England’s friendly against Greece. The saga could also have damaging repercussions for Hargreaves’s standing at Bayern if he is forced to stay in Germany, with a notable hardening in the language used by the club’s hierarchy.
Yes, even our beloved SAF was embroiled in that ‘uncivilized‘ business.
The issue was so controversial that Munich threatened to report Man Utd to FIFA. Does the story sound familiar? The only thing unfamiliar with the story is that Owen did not get the kind of berating that Cristiano Ronaldo is getting. We love Man Utd, but we don’t like hypocrisy, and we sure as hell don’t appreciate this double standard that seems to exist in the British tabloids.
You can read the rest of the story, written in 2006, here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2006/aug/23/newsstory.bayernmunich
well, good point made, first of all.
but let’s remember that neither the coach nor president/owner(s) of manchester united have made blunt and public comments week after week saying this and that about hargraeves.
at least nothing comparable to what has been said by schuster or calderon.
i don’t even understand why SAF wanted him so bad, he’s overrated, overpriced and frequently injured. to be honest, he has not been worth the money spent.