Is Christiano Ronaldo really worth £80m?

Christiano Ronaldo is one of those people who divides opinion. Some love him (usually the supporters of the team he's playing for); others hate him. Perhaps many don't take to him because at times he appears to be an arrogant, showy type of person, full of his own self-importance. Of course he may be a really nice guy, but that's not his public persona. The one thing which surely not even the most blinkered observer can argue with is that he's a fantastic footballer. The truth is that just about every football supporter, whatever they think of Ronaldo as a person, would love to have him in their team.

His imminent transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid has raised a few eyebrows and made a few people think. Even though football transfer fees have risen considerably over recent years, to pay £80m for one player seems a bit over the top, especially in these recessionary days! Can it really be that a sportsman, however talented, is worth that amount of money? And it's not just footballers. If Andy Murray fulfills our dreams and wins Wimbledon he will collect a cheque for over £3/4m, and if Tiger Woods completes his comeback from injury by winning this months' U.S. Open golf championship he stands to win over £1m.

Compare all that with the following horrific statistics from the charity Clean Water For The World:

According to the World Health Organization, 1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to clean water—that’s approximately one in six people on earth.

• Every 15 seconds, a child dies from a water-related diseases.

• 1.8 million children die each year from diarrhea – 4,900 deaths each day.

• For children under age five, water-related diseases are the leading cause of death.

• At any given time, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from a water-related disease.

• Close to half of all people in developing countries are suffering at any given time from a health problem caused by water and sanitation deficits.

• The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns.

I love sport, and I love football. But sometimes I wonder if we human beings have our priorities wrong.