Cristiano Ronaldo: I Want To Play In Spain
April 24, 2008
Cristiano Ronaldo has caused uproar in the Madrid-based press after reiterating that he would one day like to play in the Spanish league after the Champions League game against Barcelona.
The Portuguese star is the subject of endless rumours and speculation in both Marca and AS with Real Madrid stoking the fires by making comments about the player every few weeks.
Last year, Ronaldo openly admitted that during his career he would like to play in Spain and that was immediately interpreted as a signal that Los Merengues could make a move.
Instead, the Old Trafford favourite put pen-to-paper on a new deal that ties him to the Premiership giants until 2012 and there are reports that even that could now be extended again.
But Ronaldo’s latest statement has already led to Marca making the announcement their front page story and suggesting that Madrid would be clear favourites to land him should he move.
“I have said a million times that I would one day like to play in Spain,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “But I cannot see into the future and say when.”
After the Barça match, Ronaldo was very friendly with the home team’s players and chatted with Víctor Valdés with the pair embracing before they left the pitch.
That is certainly not a sign that he is set to move to Camp Nou, but following Marca´s logic that could mean that the day he fancies making a move to la Primera a reality he could choose to play with friends at Camp Nou.
Xavi urges Cristiano Ronaldo to make Barcelona switch !
April 23, 2008
Barcelona ace Xavi has told Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo that he would be a better player if he moved to Spain.
“Ronaldo has goals, dribbling, pace and a winning mentality but also he over-complicates things,” Xavi said in the Daily Express. “He feels so superior to everybody, and rightly so, that he tries things that are unnecessary.
“He could be a much better player if he was here, playing with us. I have a soft spot for him. I would love him to join us.
“I feel that at the moment he doesn’t get as much pressure, as many demands, as he would get here. In England, if you do a couple of things right, people talk about you being a legend.
“Here if you don’t control a ball properly or if you kick the ball into the stands, people hate you. So you have to become a better player.
“Along with Lionel Messi, Ronaldo is the best player in the world. In fact he is in front of Leo in terms of influence in a game. The kid has everything. We are talking about physical and technical football.”
Barcelona - Man Utd | Cristiano Ronaldo: We Can Prove We’re The Best
April 22, 2008
Cristiano Ronaldo believes the end of the season will provide “a definite answer” to whether the current Manchester United team is the best ever.
Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed recently that this was probably the best United squad “in terms of completeness” he has had under his command since taking over at Old Trafford in 1986.
Ronaldo also believes the current crop of players is packed with talent, but the Portuguese superstar believes the team needs to prove it over the next few weeks as they chase a Premier League and Champions League double.
“It makes me feel good. He (Ferguson) has been at the club for 17-20 years, he has signed great players, incredible goalscorers,” Ronaldo told Spanish newspaper Sport.
“I also think that this is the most talented team, but you can only confirm this at the end of the season, seeing what the team has won.
“There is a lot of talent, I think that we are going along the right path.
“Game after game we have shown that we have a fantastic team, with a lot of talent and magnificent players, but at the end of the season we will be able to provide a definite answer if this team is the best Manchester United side of all time.
“If we win the Champions League or the Premier League we will have a better idea.”
Ronaldo was speaking ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Barcelona at the Nou Camp.
United are favourites heading into the tie, but Ronaldo is taking nothing for granted against a Barca side who were European champions just two years ago.
“At this stage there are no easy games. They are all very important matches where the pressure is very high for both teams and you need the maximum concentration. Anything can happen,” said Ronaldo, who is looking forward to locking horns with Barca ace Lionel Messi.
“Messi is a very good player. It is a pleasure to play with players like him. We seem similar - we always want to score and win.
“Our objective is to win as quickly as possible. We will play to find the best result in the Nou Camp. I want to win.”
On a personal level, Ronaldo admits he is thoroughly enjoying life at United, who he joined from Sporting Lisbon in 2003.
“I feel very proud to represent this club, for whom I have been playing for five years,” he explained.
“I feel privileged to have played so many games at this stadium for so many years. It is a great honour for me to show my ability on the pitch, in front of the 60,000 or 70,000 people who go there every weekend, it is amazing.
“I am at a club which allows me to work well and win all the competitions that we participate in. I want to win both trophies with the team and individually.”
Ronaldo is enjoying a remarkable season at United and has netted 28 league goals already as the Red Devils look to defend their Premier League title.
That form has seen the 23-year-old emerge as one of the favourites to walk off with a host of individual awards this year, but the flying winger insists his main aim is to help United to silverware.
“My objective at this point is to win all the competitions that I am still playing in,” he added.
“The Premier League is a reward for the whole year but they are all very important. I am not obsessed with the best player award. What I want is to play well and to always win.”
Mark Hughes warns Ronaldo to stay put
April 19, 2008
Cristiano Ronaldo has rarely hidden his desire to experience life in La Liga before calling time on his already remarkable career, but the Manchester United winger has been urged to consider just what he could be leaving behind should he ultimately decide that the Nou Camp or the Bernabeu would provide a more fitting stage for his talents than Old Trafford.
The 23-year-old, whose 38 goals in all competitions this season have placed United on course for a Premier League and Champions League double, is constantly linked with record-breaking moves to Spain’s two superpowers, Real Madrid and Barcelona, despite Sir Alex Ferguson’s insistence that the Portuguese is not for sale at any price.
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With Ronaldo due to participate in Euro 2008 this summer, the interest of Real and Barcelona is is unlikely to fade, but the Blackburn manager Mark Hughes, who was tempted away from United by Barcelona in 1985 before returning to Old Trafford two unsuccessful years later, has warned Ronaldo that the grass will not necessarily be greener elsewhere.
Hughes said: “I think the Premier League is the hardest league in world football and Ronaldo is playing with the top club in it. Why would he leave? There is absolutely no reason to do so because everything is there for him.
“He is the top player in the top club in the top league, so there is no reason for him to leave. Barcelona, for instance, is a fantastic club and has the tradition and standing in world football that United has, but I don’t see them as the top club at the moment.
“Ronaldo has had a great season. A stand-out, career-defining season, you could call it and it is fantastic for him to be a couple of goals away from forty. He did exceptionally well last year and I felt it would be difficult for him to top that, but he has managed it. That is a credit to his drive and his ambition to be the best player in the world, which he is obviously very close to being.”
Hughes’s team can breathe new life into the title race if they beat United at Ewood Park this evening and Rovers have form against the champions having secured a league double over Ferguson’s men two seasons ago. With United seemingly at the peak of their powers, though, Hughes admits that repeating previous heroics will be a daunting task for Blackburn.
He said: “United are getting better, but we have to make sure we are still able to give them a run for their money. We still feel we are able to do that - we are a top ten Premier League side, so we should be able to give a good account of ourselves.
“United are the stand-out team this year. They are exceptionally gifted as a team and have outstanding individual talent as well. It does become difficult to keep them at bay, but it can be done. We have proved that in the past and we are looking to do it again.
“Sir Alex is very supportive of the guys like myself who have been in his charge and he wants them to do well - but not when they are playing United! He doesn’t enjoy getting beaten by his former players.”
Cristiano Ronaldo expecting title victory
April 19, 2008
Cristiano Ronaldo says Manchester United are under a lot of pressure, but he is highly confident they will win the Premier League title.
United took a major step towards becoming champions for a second successive season by beating Arsenal on Sunday, and Chelsea’s 1-1 draw at home to Wigan on the following night has left Sir Alex Ferguson’s men five points clear with four game to go.
They head to Blackburn on Saturday and Ronaldo believes that victory in that game would go a long way towards ensuring they retain the title.
“We are in a good position now,” he said. “When Chelsea dropped points after we won against Arsenal, it was fantastic for us.
“Blackburn will be a tough game, but if we win we have a good chance to win the title.
“There are only four games left and there is a lot of pressure, but my confidence is high.”
Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at Old Trafford
April 17, 2008
Cristiano Ronaldo says he is angry at all the speculation over his future insisting on Wednesday that he wants to stay at Old Trafford.
The Portugal international has scored 37 goals this season and that dazzling form has prompted links with some of United’s leading European rivals.
But the 23-year-old told The Sun newspaper that he wasn’t planning a move away from Manchester United any time soon.
“I just don’t care what the whole world seems to want to say about me or speculate about my future.
“I’ve said it a thousand times and, by now, people should realise…I’m totally happy at United,” he told the tabloid.
“I’m in the form of my life and I’m having the season of my career so far so it makes me mad sometimes to read some of the things which are supposed to be related to my future.
“I get angry but I’m trying to accept it’s a waste of energy to be furious because it is not worth it.”
Ronaldo wants to win the Ballon d’Or
April 12, 2008
Cristiano Ronaldo is eyeing the Ballon d’Or accolade and wants to be crowned the best player in the world. Ronaldo has already bagged 38 goals this season.
He told the Daily Mail: “I am concentrating on the Premier League and Champions League, but my ultimate aim is to be the best in the world. I work every day towards that, but only God knows if, one day, I will eventually get that Ballon d’Or, which is so important to me.”
The Portugal winger added: “I am living through one of the best periods of my career. I’m in good physical shape and I’m working hard. Thanks to that, the goals and results have arrived.”
Cristiano Ronaldo and Ferguson won March awards
April 12, 2008
Sir Alex Ferguson and Cristiano Ronaldo have won the manager and player of the month awards for March.
“It is Ferguson’s 21st manager of the month award, claiming his first in August 1993, while Cristiano Ronaldo has now won the player award on four occasions.
The prizes crown an exceptional month for Manchester United, who won all their Premier League games without conceding a goal.
Ronaldo, last year’s Barclays Player and Young Player of the Season, has scored 37 goals so far this season.
The Red Devils started March with a convincing 3-0 victory at Fulham, followed by a 1-0 win over Derby at Pride Park with Ronaldo scoring the only goal.
The Portuguese winger claimed both goals in the 2-0 win over Bolton and scored again in a 3-0 home win against Liverpool.
Ferguson’s side rounded off March with a 4-0 victory over Aston Villa in which Ronaldo added to his Premier League tally of 27 goals this season.
The former Sporting Lisbon player - who also claimed January’s prize - is now six goals ahead of Liverpool striker Fernando Torres in the race for the Barclays Golden Boot award.”
Ronaldo eyes second PFA award
April 11, 2008
Cristiano Ronaldo heads the list of players nominated for this year’s Professional Footballers Association player of the year award. The Manchester United winger, who also claimed the award last year, faces competition from the Arsenal duo of Cesc Fábregas and Emmanuel Adebayor, Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, and the Portsmouth goalkeeper David James.
Ronaldo is widely expected to receive the award after a season in which he has been universally acclaimed for his dazzling contribution to Manchester United’s pursuit of a Premier League and Champions League double. A landmark campaign has seen the Portuguese score 37 goals, surpassing George Best’s club record tally for a winger of 32, which had stood since United’s European Cup-winning campaign of 1967-68.
Marketing Guru says Cristiano Ronaldo could earn £150,000-a-week
April 8, 2008
A sports marketing guru says he could make Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo a staggering £150 MILLION over the length of his playing career.
Chubby Chandler, whose International Sports Management represents the likes of Ernie Els, Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke in golf as well as England cricketer Freddie Flintoff, told the Sunday Mirror: “Ronaldo will do what Tiger has done and tick every box in the book. Woods appeals to everyone: male, female, no matter if they are golf-lovers or not. Ronaldo will be the same.
“If he was in my stable then over the next decade he’d earn £150million - and that’s a conservative estimate.
“He is not just a phenomenal player, he’s big, handsome, has that special smile and a Latin look and that would sell him big-style in the States.
“To really cash in you have to have transatlantic appeal and boy, has he got it. Can he be the Tiger Woods of football? No doubt at all.” United fan Chandler adds: “Once they said we would never see the £100,000-a-week footballer.
“Well, I reckon he is on target to be the first £200,000- a-week star of the game.”
World-famous publicist Max Clifford goes along with every word. He says: “There is no question that Ronaldo can equal and very possibly surpass the popularity, marketability and earning capacity of David Beckham. But if he works with the right people and takes the right advice, he can be even bigger than him and be right up there with Tiger.
“The sky is the limit for him but there is one thing - he should stay with United because they are such a huge, global brand.
“If I was going to advise I’d say first to forget any thoughts, long-or short-term, of leaving Old Trafford and ignore any talk of Real Madrid.
“I would tell him to sign up with Simon Cowell and I promise you that within a year Ronaldo would be a world-wide figure off the park as well as on it.
“Football tends to be only interested in itself. Huge though Ronaldo is, he is still not known very well outside the sport. Simon, or someone with his contacts, would change all that. He’d find him placements on TV shows in the States, for instance - such as American Idol, even walk-on movie parts.
“He would place him in big charity shows. He would coach him on how to handle himself in the public glare, protect him from the wolves - which is what Simon Fuller did with Beckham.”
