At a press conference yesterday ahead of tonight's Champions League final, a relaxed and jovial Sir Alex Ferguson responded to a question from a Spanish journalist, who asked how he would feel if Cristiano Ronaldo joined Real Madrid, by saying: "It seems that there are idiots in here... They're all over the place. If you want to put a bet on it... I'll put a big bet on it."

For his part, in an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live yesterday, Man Utd chief executive David Gill pointed out that Ronaldo is "under contract for four more seasons, and will undoubtedly stay with us for many more years to come. We're going to keep him. We've got absolutely no intention of letting him go and we'll make sure that he's happy here. He's not going anywhere."

Mr Gill went on to say that: "He's at a great club, winning trophies and is enjoying himself immensely, so why would he want to leave? United is not a club in the habit of selling its most valuable assets. To pay our debts we need a a successful team and we won't achieve that by selling Cristiano Ronaldo."

Notwithstanding, the headline of today's Marca screams 'Sí, quiero', and claims that the Portuguese right-winger has already told bosses at Real Madrid that he wants to sign before the start of next season.

Cristiano Ronaldo admits Spanish league ambition
By: thinkSPAIN
Thursday, February 7, 2008

In an interview on Portuguese TV last night, Cristiano Ronaldo admitted that he is interested in playing in the Spanish league. "At the moment I'm happy at Manchester Utd, but I'll play in the Spanish league one day. I love Spain," he said.

"They say I've got style and it's true that I worry about my image, but I'm not Brad Pitt," he joked when asked about his status as a sex-symbol, "they say it takes me a long time to get dressed. They might be right, but I like to look good, although I don't want to be a model."

With respect to this summer's Euro 2008 finals, he said that "At the moment I'm in magnificent physical shape, and will try and start the tournament in the same condition."

Ronaldo concluded by describing himself as "a normal boy, a 23 year old in love with life. I like going out with my friends. Are there any young people who don't like enjoying themselves?"

related news:

Cristiano Ronaldo agrees to join Real at end of season
By: thinkSPAIN
Thursday, March 15, 2007

http://www.thinkspain.com/news/noticia.asp?CodNoticia=12535