Exit Cristiano Ronaldo, the suntanned smoothie they loved to hate

THE delicacy of his ball skills are legendary, while he can hammer in a free-kick in thunderous fashion. And both men and women will admit he looks as good in his trunks on the beach as he does in his shorts on the field.

Cristiano Ronaldo is also, officially, the best footballer on the planet and today seems set to become its most expensive, after Manchester United apparently accepted a world record £80million offer for his services from Real Madrid.

So why is there a Facebook group with the title "Cristiano Ronaldo is a Twat"? Or as one football writer put it: "With Ronaldo, you realise at once that a person can be a great footballer and at the same time insufferable."

The outstanding professional abilities of the 24-year-old Portuguese winger are widely admired throughout the footballing world, but he has never inspired undivided warmth.

Mainly this is due to Ronaldo's on-off flirtation with big-spending Real Madrid last season, which bored even the most ardent football fans and led United supporters to question his protestations of loyalty.

Then there is the small matter of his regular on-field theatrics, the apparent selfishness of his play and often elaborate protestations to referees when a defender has the temerity to tackle him. He has received a number of yellow cards for diving.

Outside of United supporters, his reputation is probably summed up by the recent headline in the Sun relating to Ronaldo's opening of a boutique selling his own-designed clothes: "Winker's dodgy clobber on sale."

The "Winker" nickname stems from the infamous occasion during the England-Portugal match at the 2006 World Cup when he was photographed winking elaborately at his team bench, following an on-field confrontation with United team-mate Wayne Rooney, who was sent off. There was speculation he would never play for United again but the pair made up.

Among those posting on the official United website today, there was certainly dismay that the club would quickly find anyone again capable of scoring more than 40 goals a season, but also some relief. As one put it: ''How long could he keep embarrassing Sir Alex [Ferguson, the United manager]... and let him keep mugging every time he gets subbed or watching himself on the big screen throughout the whole European Cup final? It was time.'' Others relished the fact it was "good business" to make such a profit now on a player bought for £12million as an 18-year old from Sporting Lisbon. United have always previously rejected the advances of Real for their most prized asset, even threatening to report them to Fifa last year.

Ronaldo's personal life has been characterised by tabloid revelations about his female conquests and frequent photographs of his smoothly suntanned body on the world's beaches, prompting much speculation about whether or not he shaved his legs.

It is a footballer's lifestyle that includes the Cheshire mansion and accessories such as the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano which he wrecked in a tunnel near Manchester Airport in January.

Ronaldo's capture by Real is part of the revived "galacticos" policy of its newly returned president Florentino Pérez, who bought the Brazilian playmaker Kaka from AC Milan earlier this week for a reported £56million.

It was under his previous presidency that he embarked on a buying spree which saw David Beckham, Michael Owen and other international stars such as Zinedine Zidane head for the Spanish capital.

The club will relish the marketing opportunities provide by the Ronaldo name. However, some might think that Sir Alex Ferguson has profitably disposed of a disruptive player whose career might just have peaked.