With Cristiano Ronaldo having reportedly agreed a €100 million (R1.6 billion) move to Serie A giants Juventus, here are five reasons why he is believed to be so unhappy at Real Madrid that he wants to force a move away from the club.
Click through the gallery above to see the seven trophies Ronaldo lifted last season.
The Portuguese dropped a transfer bombshell straight after the UEFA Champions League final in May when he suggested he could leave Los Blancos in this window.
While many thought his comments were in the heat of the moment and a ploy to get a better contract, it seems his relationship with club president Florentino Perez is really broken.
Marca have published an overview of what they believe led to the breakdown and ultimately Ronaldo's desire to leave the club after nine years.
1) Promise of a new contract not kept
One of the main reasons for Ronaldo growing unhappy at the Santiago Bernabeu is the fact that Perez did not keep his promise to offer him a new contract. The player's desire to earn closer to Neymar's €36 million (R576 million) and Lionel Messi's €46 million (R736 million) annual deals have been well documented, and Perez had promised his superstar a new deal would be coming after the 2017 Champions League final, but the club opted against it due his disappointing form in the early stages of the 2017/18 season.
2) Real already focused on his successor
Instead, Los Blancos have already begun their mission to bring in Ronaldo's replacement, and have apparently earmarked Neymar for the role. Initial reports indicated that the Spanish giants wanted to sign him after the 2018/19 campaign, but it has since been suggested a deal could happen this window. Ronaldo, though, is reportedly unhappy that the club are prepared to offer Neymar a big salary while they seem resistant to giving him what he wants and feels he deserves after leading them to four Champions League titles in five years.
3) No public backing by the club
In addition, Ronaldo feels the club should stand by him more when he goes through dry spells. Only coach Zinedine Zidane really supported him publicly when he was sent off in the Spanish Super Cup ahead of the 2017/18 campaign. He feels unprotected, according to Marca, and is annoyed that he gets whistled at by the club's fans if he goes a few games without scoring.
4) His tax issues
His ongoing tax issues in Spain also play a role in his desire to leave, even though he has agreed to pay a whopping €18.8 million (R300 million) fine and accepted a suspended prison sentence of 24 months. However, if he is found guilty of any others offence in Spain, he could actually end up going to jail.
5) Lack of backing in tax case
Throughout the tax case, he also felt the club could have backed him more, like FC Barcelona's support of Messi throughout his tax fraud case. With Ronaldo's case beginning in May 2016, Los Blancos published a message of support three weeks later, but since then there has been no public backing.
Read: Reports: Ronaldo Agrees €100m Juventus Move
It remains to be seen whether or not Ronaldo will indeed leave the club, but, right now, it seems as if the ties between himself and Perez have been cut.
Do you think Ronaldo should leave Real? Have your say in the comments section below.
