CRISTIANO RONALDO AND ITS IMPACT ON LIVERPOOL FC

Good riddance.
As much as Ronaldo lit up the Premiership stage, for the neutrals at least, he brought bad attitude, poor sportmanship and general hardfaced behaviour to a new level in England.
But personal bias and opinion aside, just what effect will his departure have on Manchester United, and furthermore, Liverpool's ability to pip them next year?
£80m is a hell of a lot of money, and with a pretentious superstar with half an eye already on Madrid, it was almost an offer to good to resist.

The mind boggles with what you could do with that sort of cash. Three truly world class players could be snapped up for that sort of money.
But do Man Utd really need that £80m, with strength in depth in most positions?
If Liverpool were handed that sum, it would be a godsend, and Rafa would presumbaly go out to recruit the very best at centre forward right midfield and right back.

With United, however, there's only a right winger and perhaps another top class centre mid to go alongside Carrick that would boost their squad or first 11 any further.
Even then, Anderson, Giggs, Fletcher and Scholes have been excelling at various stages this season.
That's why for even £80m, perhaps there'snot huge physical value getting £80m for someone who is perhaps the best player in the world.
The amount of times Ronaldo pulled Man Utd out of trick spots is countless.
The Villa game at Old Trafford was prompted by a stunning 25 yarder into the bottom corner.
Their home game against Blackburn, when they were looking decidedly shaky, was rescued by a dipping Ronaldo bender.
The Champions League away ties against Porto and Arsenal were effectively settled by a pair of Portuguese blockbusters.
Match winners are almost priceless. Gerrard, Messi, Ronaldo. They're virtually unsellable as they alone win you trophies.

Ok, so there's money to spend, but it only takes £30m on a disinterested Berbatov, or £30m on an unsettled Veron, and before you know it, you've got £30m left which you could fritter away on a Ryan Babel, a crocked Owen Hargreaves and a 'when the mood suits me' Nani.

It would be more catastrophic for Liverpool to lose Gerrard than United lose Ronaldo. Simply because, they have more matchwinners than us.
But let's bear in mind, that even WITH those mathwinners, they only pipped us to the title by a few points.
Now with their main man gone, the playing field could more level.

From a general point of view, though, there's almost part of me that hopes football will suddenly implode.
£80m for a footballer and the grotesque wages that go with it that allows Ronaldo spend thousands of pounds a night on Cristal while Paris Hilton masages his nads.
And these are the people we eulogise week in week out. Working class man's game? I hardly think so.
Yet still we keep buying the tickets. The pull of football.
What's the bet that Madrid are still a let-down next season? For all the attacking prowess, they'll probably still be wafer thin at the back and allow another Dossena-type carve them apart.