Cristiano Ronaldo: Real Madrid Star Wise to Disassociate His Sadness with Money

Did you hear?

Cristiano Ronaldo is sad. He's also very, very rich.

And that's why—in the wake of telling the press he was "sad" after Real Madrid defeated Granada 3-0 on Sunday—he was wise to publicly say that whatever discontent he feels with his club doesn't stem from wanting more money.

From the Associated Press (via the Boston Herald):

“That I am feeling sad and have expressed this sadness has created a huge stir. I am accused of wanting more money, but one day it will be shown that this is not the case,” Ronaldo said in a statement.

“At this point, I just want to guarantee to the Real Madrid fans that my motivation, dedication, commitment and desire to win all competitions will not be affected. I have too much respect for myself and for Real Madrid to ever give less to the club than all I am capable of.”

It was a smart move by Ronaldo, especially given the financial straits that Spain finds itself in. I'm not sure those folks affected by the country's staggering 24.6 percent unemployment rate would particularly take to a man already making £10 million a year asking for more money.

This doesn't mean Ronaldo's "sadness" isn't actually about money. It probably is. But it wouldn't be very good public relations if people simply thought his unhappiness was all about dollars and cents.

Plus, whether he wants more money or not, Real Madrid more than likely won't give it to him given the outrageous taxes they would have to pay on a new contract. Put simply, Real Madrid would potentially face paying as much in taxes on Ronaldo's contract per year as it would be paying the player himself.

And that isn't exactly the best business, especially considering Ronaldo is under contract until 2015. So it's probably been made clear to Ronaldo that Real Madrid isn't particularly interested in negotiating an extension or new contract anytime soon.

And Ronaldo, being smart enough to realize Real Madrid probably wasn't going to budge on this issue—at least not for the moment—was thus made to feel "sad." Not angry, not unhappy, not furious—he's still paid extremely well and plays for arguably the best team in the world, after all—just sad.

It was a calculated statement. Choosing to say he was sad reflects less on him and more on the club. We're made to be sad by outside forces. It's not an emotion we choose, unlike anger, which always seems to reflect more on the individual than it does on whatever is making the individual angry.

And Ronaldo was smart enough to make sure he said this wasn't about money as well. It was a move sensitive to the Spanish people, even if it was a bald-faced lie.

Of course, maybe there is something else that is making Ronaldo sad. Maybe adding Luka Modric at the transfer window wasn't enough for his tastes. Perhaps he isn't getting along with teammates, or Jose Mourino. Maybe he doesn't think he looks good in white. Who knows?

Whatever the case may be, with one word, he managed to create a stir the world over. If nothing else, he proved one simple point: When Ronaldo talks, we all listen.

Whether or not Real Madrid gets the message remains to be seen.

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