FanHouse RealMadrid

Let's face it, the European method of pulling names out from the proverbial hat to determine the pairings for its knockout competitions is, well, a foreign concept. About the only Stateside comparison is the selection committee drawing up the NCAA Tournament brackets every March.

To whit, Thursday in Monaco, UEFA staged its annual gala to determine the groups for the 2009-10 Champions League replete with glitz, glamor and the former Miss Switzerland pulling balls out of pots. Certainly a far cry from a group of middle-aged men sitting together in a hotel room discussing RPI.

Wednesday superstar Cristiano Ronaldo officially completed his world-record transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid. Perhaps the pressure is already getting to the Portuguese winger, as England's Sun newspaper alleges he got in a bit of a dust up with a 17-year-old female fan following him in Lisbon on Sunday by kicking in a window of a car she was sitting on.

Of course, usually anything that comes from the always reputable Sun (sarcasm alert) ought to be taken with a slight grain of salt. The paper also said Ronaldo apologized for the alleged incident, citing the fact his mother was with him when it occurred.

This summer, as the European transfer season began at 12:01 AM ET on July 1, one thing is absolutely clear -- all roads lead to Real Madrid.

Fresh off the heels of completing the mega-money swoops for Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, the Spanish giants appear to have added another high profile attacking talent in Lyon's French international Karim Benzema. Reports coming out Wednesday put the sides very close on a deal in the range of €35 million ($50 U.S.) that could be finalized before the day is over. (Update -- it appears the deal is complete.)

Waking up Thursday morning my inbox was more packed than usual. The words "Ronaldo" and "Real Madrid" featured prominently in subject lines.

Was I still dreaming? Was the other, original Ronaldo making an audacious comeback?

Rubbing the sand out of my eyes, no, it wasn't a dream. Manchester United had agreed for a world-record transfer fee of £80 million ($131M U.S.) for Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid, thus ending a multi-year flirtation with the Portuguese forward.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter should not have to remind clubs that they are obligated to release all players aged 23 and under for the Olympics. That's what he did today, though, after several European clubs attempted to hold back big name players from the competition.

Barcelona, for example, insists that it will not allow Lionel Messi to go to Beijing, because the Olympic soccer competition not a FIFA-sanctioned event. They reportedly have the backing of La Liga on this matter. Likewise, Werder Bremen is attempting to hold back world-class striker Diego from Brazil, and Schalke 04 has no plans to release Brazilian right back Rafinha. Both those players, however, are with the Brazilian national team in defiance of their clubs' wishes.

Blatter's statement comes just days after Real Madrid pulled Robinho from the Brazilian squad after discovering he had a groin pull. Robinho, however, is 24, so Madrid is under no obligation to release him, though the move didn't make the Brazilian Football Confederation any less angry.

This saber-rattling could continue right up until the opening ceremonies, though I suspect the clubs will eventually relent. What's Barca going to do, bench their biggest young star in retaliation? Argentina and Brazil are serious about winning gold, and they're not about to let any Europeans stand in their way.

Could someone explain to me why FIFA president Sepp Blatter felt it was necessary to comment about the Cristiano Ronaldo situation? Doesn't he have bigger fish to fry, like overseeing South Africa's readiness for the 2010 World Cup, or rigging the next FIFA vote to make sure he's re-elected? Or are those small things when compared to ensuring that Ronaldo gets what he wants?

It's not just that he felt the need to say something, either. It's what he actually said:

"There's too much modern slavery, in transferring players or buying players. We are trying now to intervene in such cases. The reaction to the Bosman law is to make long-lasting contracts to keep the players, and then if he wants to leave there is only one solution, he has to pay his contract."

"Modern slavery." Is he serious?

While the transfer drama surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo rages on, only one thing is certain now -- the Premier League's top scorer last season won't be playing for anyone until September at the earliest.

The Manchester United (for now) winger underwent surgery on his right ankle today in Amsterdam and is expected to be out for up to two months. Doctors repaired damaged cartilage in the ankle, a result of one too many stepovers that ended with Ronaldo getting stepped on. He is expected to miss the FA Community Shield match against Portsmouth on August 11 and possibly the first few weeks of the Premier League season.

I suppose this will give Man United fans an idea of what life will be like without Ronaldo on the wing, even though the club is redoubling its efforts to convince Real Madrid to bugger off. Reports emerged today that the Red Devils are preparing a new contract for Ronaldo that will convince him to stay at Old Trafford a while -- which, according to his sister, is what he really wants. I suspect Nereida Gallardo, Ronaldo's Spanish model girlfriend, would say something completely different. She must not like the steak pies in Manchester as much as her boyfriend does.

Now that Portugal is out of EURO 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo can go back to focusing on what's most important to him -- himself.

While Mr. Stop Drop and Roll continues to play up talk of his inevitable transfer to Real Madrid, his current employer, Manchester United, has decided to draw a line in the sand and declare that Ronaldo is not for sale at any price -- and if you believe that, I've got a Premier League club in Derbyshire I'd like to sell you.

Clearly, though, Sir Alex Ferguson wants to keep the young Portuguese around for at least another year, so he can chase after more trophies. If Ferguson didn't want Ronaldo on his side, he'd be gone by now. That's what happened to David Beckham, Roy Keane and Ruud van Nistelrooy, among others.

Plus, there are good reasons for Ronaldo to stay put. Nike recently signed Ronaldo to a £25million deal, which apparently involves a Air Jordan-esque clothing line. Should Ronaldo move to Real Madrid, which deals exclusively with adidas, he would risk losing all that cash -- assuming, of course, that adidas wouldn't fill that void.

I still say the economic reality of the Webster Rule makes this transfer inevitable, if not this summer then next summer. Man United won't risk losing him for a mere £12 million in 2010 if they can get £70 million for him before then. They can't sell £58 million worth of CR7 replica jerseys if everyone knows CR7 will be gone soon.

(H/T: Soccer By Ives)

How do you get people to keep talking about you after scoring 42 goals in a season and leading your club to domestic and European titles? By asking your club to sell your contract, of course.

Cristiano Ronaldo told anyone who would listen today that he wants to leave Manchester United and move to Real Madrid. The Portuguese winger has wanted to play for Madrid since he was a boy, and now that he's won all the trophies he wants to win at Man United, he's ready to live out his ream.

This was a positively Machiavellian move by Ronaldo, a man who seems to relish being the center of attention. By stating his desire to move to Madrid now, this guarantees he'll be the hot topic of conversation throughout the summer. Had he said he would finish out his contract at Old Trafford, this entire story would be dead. Now, everyone will spend weeks asking just how much Madrid will pay for him -- and initial reports suggest a €100m transfer fee and £300,000-a-week salary.

Of course, this story will also distract us in the unlikely event that Ronaldo lays an egg at EURO 2008.