LONDON (Sporting Alert) — Real Madrid would be better off selling star forward Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer transfer window, this is according to Sky Sports’ Spanish football expert Terry Gibson.
Ronaldo, who ended the 2014 year with impressive figures after scoring 10 goals in nine games, has been unimpressive since the start of 2015 and Terry thinks getting rid of him would make the Spanish leaders a better team.
His former club Manchester United has been heavily linked with the speedy winger and Gibson believes Real Madrid would be better off cashing in for the 30-year-old, who he says is too obsessed with his own individual achievements.
“I think his individual obsession with his own achievements is hindering the performance of the Real Madrid team,“ Gibson told Revista de la Liga.
“They can’t find the system that suits all the players that they’ve got.
“We’re talking one star player and just below that we’re talking about other world-class players such as Toni Kroos, James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale.
“This list goes on but he is above them. I just think they would be better off taking the big money they would still get for him, re-investing it in other world class players and I think they might be a better team for it.”
Former Real Madrid manager Fabio Capello is also concerned about Ronaldo’s current struggles, after the Portugal captain managed just four goals in all competitions since returning from the winter break.
“It is very important that he is not at his usual level,” Capello was quoted as telling Onda Cero. “At the end of last year Madrid began the game already 1-0 ahead, because they had Cristiano.”
Capello believes Real Madrid should consider talking to doctors about giving Ronaldo a checkup.
“There should be a talk with the doctors to know how each player is, including looking at their blood tests,” he said.
“But he is an extraordinary player and he will return to 100 percent very soon.”
Should Real Madrid decide to give in and sell Ronaldo, there certainly will be no shortage in takers.
The likes of Manchester United, PSG and Manchester City have all shown interest in the past, with Chelsea also linked with capturing his signature.
It is understood that Manchester United would undoubtedly be his preferred destination.
Real Madrid will take on Schalke in the first leg of the round of last 16 on Wednesday night and manager Carlo Ancelotti remains calm about the travel.
In fact, despite the growing concerns, Ancelotti believes this is ideal game for Ronaldo to silence his critics.
The FIFA Player-of-the-Year is expected to lineup alongside Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale in the attack for the defending champions.
“Against Deportivo, Cristiano Ronaldo was in good physical shape,” the Italian coach said. “He has not scored for a little while [a month or three games], but he will have a chance to rectify that soon enough.
“I think he’s improving. He’s not got goals but (Wednesday) I think he has a good opportunity to do it.”
Meanwhile, Schalke coach Roberto Di Matteo agrees that Ronaldo isn’t in his best form at the moment, but the Portuguese has the talent to change that at anytime.
“We all have the same opinion of Cristiano Ronaldo,” Di Matteo said. “He is a player who is capable of deciding games on his own.
“You have to defend against him as a team. He might not be displaying his usual stellar form, but he is still capable of deciding a game by himself.”
