Reactions to Ronaldo's departure

The buzz was on all day long. Reactions to Real's Ronaldo bid were flying in thick and fast. From the epicenter of the matter, Old Trafford to the tiny state in India, Goa. Fans from Man Utd, Real Madrid, sports enthusiast, politicians and even kabaddi players were speaking about it. Even I couldn't ignore it on my daily sports update on Radio Indigo. Anyway here are a few reactions from across the globe.

PRIME MINISTER GORDON BROWN

"He's one of the most brilliant players in the world. I think people will be sad that he's lost to the game in England.

"At the same time, I know Sir Alex Ferguson well, and I know he'll have plans that will be rebuilding and renewing his team. And I would expect that Manchester United and English football will emerge not weaker, but emerge in a new way and probably stronger in the long run".

SPORTS MINISTER AND MAN UTD FAN GERRY SUTCLIFFE

"If a player wants to go you've got to let him go but it's great business for the club; they bought him for £12m and they've sold him now for £80m.

"We saw Madrid spend £59m on Kaka from AC Milan just recently and that's why we've written to the Premier League and to the Football Association - and we are concerned about the sustainability of the game.

"They are big businesses now and this type of money is around but we've got to make sure that there's a link and there's a sustainability for this because we don't want to see clubs go to the wall."

FORMER REAL MADRID MANAGER JUANDE RAMOS

"Am I surprised (that Ronaldo is joining Real Madrid)? No, because I knew it would happen at some stage.

"We already knew that Real Madrid had a pre-contract agreement with Cristiano Ronaldo and that it was only a matter of time.

"I don't know exactly when that agreement was made, but I do know it was in place."

For more reactions visit --> BBC Football