Ronaldo arrives in Milan as departure feud looms
Christian Plumb
Ronaldo dodged a crowd of angry Inter Milan fans awaiting his arrival from Brazil on Tuesday, slipping off his plane under police escort, to keep them guessing whether he will abandon the club for Real Madrid.
About 50 Inter fans convinced by reports that the World Cup winner will barely unpack his bags in Italy before taking off for Spain, were ready to greet him, having posted a large handpainted sign saying "Ronaldo, Ingrate" (Ronaldo, Ungrateful) outside the arrivals area for his flight from Brazil.
"I used to love him, but now I hate him," said a fan wearing a blue and black Inter scarf and dark glasses, who identified himself as Patrizio.
Ronaldo, who has yet to make an official announcement on his future, is hoping his return to Milan will be brief, just long enough to convince Inter owner Massimo Moratti to let him leave, according to Italian newspapers.
But Moratti has reiterated that he has no intention of letting Ronaldo, bought from Barcelona in 1997 for $27.9 million, out of a contract that expires only in 2006.
"There is only one truth: Ronaldo belongs to Inter and will play with us next year as well," Moratti told Corriere dello Sport on Tuesday. "That's that."
He added that he had not talked to Ronaldo, who has struggled with injuries at Inter but re-established his reputation by scoring eight goals as Brazil won the World Cup in South Korea and Japan.
BRIEF APPEARANCE
The 25-year-old striker shed no light on his intentions as he arrived in Milan.
The fans only glimpse of him was through the large glass windows of Malpensa airport, where a swarm of cameramen and photographers recorded his brief appearance at the foot of a plane.
He then stepped into a white bus escorted by police cars and drove off the tarmac.
Moratti said in press interviews over the weekend he would not let Ronaldo go for less than 100 million euros ($97.37 million).
Inter coach Hector Cuper on Monday also dismissed reports in the Spanish media that he was ready to sell Ronaldo.
But the striker's agent told Real Madrid last week that Ronaldo was ready to leave Inter, although Real's sporting director Jorge Valdano said the club were only "relatively" interested in the player.
The Inter fans gathered at the airport urged Moratti to take a tough line.
"They shouldn't let him go for anything less than 100 million," Patrizio said as his comrades nodded in agreement. "If that doesn't happen, they should keep him under contract, but not let him play for a single minute."
A sole Ronaldo defender urged her fellow fans to give him a second chance.
"I still love him, even if he's behaving badly," said Vittani Marisa. "Ronaldo, stay with us."
