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What's the story?
Cristiano Ronaldo is already re-negotiating his contract with Real Madrid, just a few months after signing a contract with the La Liga giants, according to a report in the Daily Star. The Portuguese superstar currently earns almost half of what Lionel Messi earns in his new deal, and is reportedly unhappy with his remuneration.
Speaking on Spanish TV Show El Chiringuito, journalist Eduardo Inda said "Cristiano Ronaldo will renew his contract with Real Madrid and will earn much more money than he has received to date. He is negotiating with the club, his contract ends in 2021 and he wants [to extend it] until 2022, but the club prefers to keep it until 2021 and raise his salary."
“[Per year] he earns €22m (£19.5m) and is asking for about €30m (£27m). It can be closed at just under that figure. Messi earns €35m (£31m) plus €7m (£6m) in variables and then a premium of €10m (£9m) per contract season, which in total means for Barcelona (including taxes) about €110m (£98m)."
Also Read: La Liga 2016-17: Cristiano Ronaldo's new contract details revealed
In case you didn't know...
Cristiano Ronaldo last signed a new contract with Madrid in November 2016, then having committed his future to the club until 2021, with Florentino Perez even ensuring that there was a prohibitive release clause of €1 billion.
The heart of the matter
However, Ronaldo's future at Madrid seemed uncertain in the summer, with the Portuguese star expressing his desire to move back to England while testifying in front of Spanish courts in his tax fraud case. He said, "I never had a problem in England… that’s why I would like to go back to England."
Also Read: Reports: Why Manchester United missed out on signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid this summer
However, after speaking to Zinedine Zidane and Florentino Perez, Ronaldo went back on his previously 'irreversible' decision to Madrid and stay. It is assumed that an improved salary will be enough to keep the Portuguese star at the club, who has not shown signs of slowing down.
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Author's Take:
Given that Cristiano Ronaldo is favourite to win the Ballon d'Or the fact that he earns almost half what Messi does seems a bit unfair. He probably has a right to demand more from Madrid, who have plenty of cash in their reserves as their transfer outlay was minimal this summer.
