The fallout from Real Madrid’s 4-0 crushing at the hands of fierce rivals Barcelona is threatening to cause a rift among Rafa Benitez’s camp as the club comes to terms with their heaviest El Clasico defeat since 2009.
Neymar, Luis Suarez and Andres Iniesta orchestrated the most dramatic of downfalls for Madrid, with Benitez facing the ire from Real fans as they waved their white handkerchiefs in a sign of their unhappiness with the Spaniard.
But the biggest opposition to Benitez’s short reign at the club appears to be coming from inside his own squad.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the superstar of Madrid and top scorer in La Liga in 2015, reportedly told team-mates in the dressing room following the loss that “either he goes, or I go.”
The murmurs could well be a sign of Ronaldo’s impending Santiago Bernabeu exit. Heading into the match, the belief was that it could well be Ronaldo’s final El Clasico at the Bernabeu, and the defeat has done nothing to weaken that notion given the broken relationship between player and manager.
Ronaldo is known to be wanted by French league champions, Paris Saint-Germain, and a move to Ligue 1 to end his career would certainly fit in with Ronaldo’s career projection – which has seen him win Champions League and league titles in both England and Spain.
However, a return to Manchester United cannot be ruled out, and while it’s unlikely that United would pay in excess of £60m for a 30-year-old, fans will expect the club to move for Ronaldo if he ever becomes available.
