Cristiano Ronaldo transfer: Real Madrid unhappy with star over silence

Jul 3, 2017 7:16 PM

The Portuguese forward is back in the Spanish capital after the Confederations Cup, but still has not spoken publicly about reports he wants to leave

Real Madrid are unhappy that Cristiano Ronaldo has stayed silent following recent revelations that he wants to leave the Spanish side.

The Portuguese forward was accused of tax evasion by the authorities in Spain last month and reacted by posting a picture on Instagram with his finger over his lips and a caption that read: "Sometimes the best answer it's to be quiet".

The very next day, however, he set the alarm bells ringing in Madrid as Portuguese paper A Bola printed a bombshell on their front page. "Ronaldo wants to leave Spain," it announced. And the decision was described as "irreversible".

Away at the Confederations Cup with Portugal, Ronaldo was named Man of the Match in all three group games - against Mexico, Russia and New Zealand - but would only answer questions about the matches and the tournament when presented with those awards.

Back in Spain, Madrid president Florentino Perez gave several interviews after re-election for four more years and said: "Everybody knows I want Cristiano to stay here for life. He is one of the pillars of this team and also a big part of the history of this club."

It was subsequently reported by some sectors of the Spanish media that Ronaldo had been made to feel more calm by the words of his club chief, yet still there was no reaction from the 32-year-old out in Russia.

Portugal lost on penalties to Chile in the semi-finals and Ronaldo was given permission by his national team to miss the third and fourth place match against Mexico on Sunday as he flew back to Spain to meet his new-born baby twins.

However, he has now been back in the Spanish capital for several days and there has been no contact with Madrid and no public comment from the four-time Ballon d'Or winner either.

That posture has upset the board at Real and also the Madrid fans, many of whom would like to hear an explanation from the club's all-time top goalscorer, apparently so happy as Los Blancos won La Liga in late May and retained the Champions League early last month.

The club are keen to respect the player's privacy during his holidays and especially as he adapts to life with two new family members, but there is expected to be some contact this week to discuss his situation and also the plans for next season.

Real remain confident Cristiano will stay, but the club are unhappy that their prized player has used the media to threaten a summer exit instead of talking the matter over directly. This week, with Ronaldo back in Madrid, the two parties should at least be able to do that.