The Cristiano Ronaldo saga has been going on for who knows how long. In fact, it has become a real football soap opera, and a lot of people are divided in their opinion over who is the victim and who is the culprit in this sad but intriguing saga. The fact that it concerns probably the best footballer on the planet has led to people everywhere voicing their opinion and taking sides from heavyweights such as Sepp Blatter to the fans in local suburban parks. However, in all this analysis, a lot of facts are either missing or twisted to suit different purposes and agendas. I've decided to set the issue straight in this article.

To begin, a player's commitment to a club is demonstrated by the contract they have signed with a club. In Ronaldo's case, he signed a 5 year contract at the beginning of 2007 linking him to the club until at least 2012. The reason for the length of the contract was because the club considered him an important asset for the club's future and hence if Ronaldo does not honour his contract, the club would end up losing. The only loser would be the club and the culprit would be none other than Ronaldo.

Another thing that has to be mentioned are the rights to the player which are transferred to the club purchasing the player. This essentially implies that the clubs are the ones who decide whether a transfer goes ahead, not the player. This has been compared to slavery both in the past and more recently, but nowadays if the player's wishes are not being fulfilled, then they can at any time stop playing, effectively forcing the club to comply with their wishes.

That said, it is not enough to justify a breaking of a contract especially one that is long term and which only has recently been signed. The only justification possible would be if the club has inflicted harm on the player, but in Ronaldo's case, there is none to be found. The only harm being inflicted is that of Ronaldo towards United.

FACT 3. There is no legitimate reason for changing clubs. No racism such as what Etoo has suffered for many years from the fans in La Liga. No rift with the coach Sir Alex Ferguson, in fact, it is largely due to Sir Alex that Ronaldo is one of the best footballers on the planet. No rift with management or owners, well, at least none that is going around media circles. However, most importantly, there has been no lack of success. Ronaldo has been so successful at United, so why would you want to leave a successful organisation? Culprit: Ronaldo Victim: United

So much for repaying the faith, Sir Alex put in him when he was a bought as a teenager in 2003. So much for respecting a manager who groomed him to become one of the most prolific footballers in the world today. So much for repaying the club and the fans who offered a large multi million contract for 5 years and now wanting to break it.

There are a couple of words that shine through when analysing this neverending saga. They are loyalty and respect, or more so the lack of them. Ronaldo seems to think that just because he's won every major trophy at United that he can decide what he wants to do now. He obviously thought that when he signed the 5 year contract that he could also leave at any time.

Put simply, Ronaldo is just a representative of today's generation of players where loyalty and respect take a back seat and where egos and personal rather than team motives take precedence. The era of club loyalty shown by players is gone and Ronaldo is the result of that. Money and personal success seem to be more important to him rather than respecting the club that has nurtured him. This isn't really surprising because it is simply part of the Generation Y syndrome that has affected the rest of society.

This kind of attitude prevalent among young players has led to loyalty and respect being lost in football. Probably never to be seen again. Which is a shame because it means that the club and fans lose out. It's only a win-win situation for the players themselves. But football is bigger than any player even those of the stature of Ronaldo. The spirit at clubs was born through both fan and player loyalty. Losing player loyalty would then lead to club spirit dying away. Such a thing can never be allowed to occur.