Soccer legends Pele and Gordon Banks both warned Cristiano Ronaldo against walking out on Champions League winners Manchester United and moving to Spanish giants Real Madrid on Saturday.
The 23-year-old forward has still four years remaining on his contract with United and both Pele and Banks ridiculed both his and FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s claims that he was being treated like a “slave.”
“You are a slave if you work without a contract or you don’t get paid,” said Pele, who was in Stoke, central England, to unveil a statue dedicated to Banks and for a charity match for the former England goalkeeper’s charity foundation.
“If you have a contract then in any job you have to finish the contract,” he said. “I think that when he finishes his contract, then he should be free to go wherever he wants to go.”
Banks, whose save from Pele in the group stage of the 1970 World Cup finals is generally believed to be the greatest ever, accused Ronaldo of showing a lack of respect to Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Banks, who was part of England’s 1966 World Cup winning side, said he could not understand why Ronaldo, who scored 42 goals for United last season, would want to move away from Old Trafford to Real Madrid.
“I can’t understand why he said he felt he was being treated like a slave,” the 70-year-old said. “If he has just signed a new contract then he should respect his manager and honor it. It’s stupid.”
“I don’t understand what the problem is. He plays for a team that has just won the European Cup and the Premier League. He plays for his country. What more does he want?” Banks said.
“It’s like anything in life. If a businessman signs a contract then he has to honor it. It’s no different than a professional footballer,” Banks said.
Real Madrid are believed to be prepared to offer around 85 million euros (US$134 million) for Ronaldo and pay him 9 million euros on a five-year deal.
Ronaldo, a boyhood Real fan, has consistently been linked with a move to the Spanish capital since the end of last season.
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