Cristiano Ronaldo to earn $480K a week if transferred to Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo stands to earn a weekly wage of more than $480,000 if his long-awaited move to Real Madrid goes through.

The preposterous sum was revealed by a Spanish newspaper that claims to have seen the details of the alleged in-principle deal by which Manchester United have agreed to sell Ronaldo to the Spanish giants.

The figures involved - reported by El Pais, a newspaper not known for its over-dramatising, and in fact viewed in Spain as a paper of record - makes stunning reading beyond the incredible mooted transfer fee of $143 million.

Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes is due a substantial sum - $35 million on top of the $143 million - for arranging the deal, a common factor to European deals (albeit rarely on such a scale).

The newspaper further reports that the deal is contingent on both parties remaining in denial until the end of May - the close of the European season - with the transfer due to take place after July 1, when the transfer window opens.

The storm of the global financial crisis might make such sums look profligate in the extreme right now, but a different scale of economics operates in the upper echelons of European football - with a virtual sub-strata for Madrid's dealings alone.

They are the world's richest club, with revenue upwards of $660 million - for now.

It was a title they wrenched from United in 2005 and have no intention of giving back.

By Tom Smithies

From http://www.foxsports.com.au

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