Cristiano Ronaldo pledges to stay at Manchester United
Published 00:00 23/05/08 By Martin Lipton In Moscow
Cristiano Ronaldo will end the weeks of game-playing by committing himself to Manchester United in the next seven days.
But the Portuguese ace has decided to go out in a blaze of glory with one final season at Old Trafford before taking up the challenge of Real Madrid.
Madrid have publicly courted Ronaldo for the past month, with the 42-goal hero of the United season fanning the flames of their interest with a series of mixed messages.
But as sources close to the 23-year-old conceded United are simply not willing to even entertain Real's £100million bid for Ronaldo, the winger ended his post-Moscow bout of tease by giving the broadest possible hint of his intentions.
Ronaldo, ready to sign a new deal even if his long-term ambitions are elsewhere after scoring his eighth goal of the Champions League campaign in the Luzhniki Stadium, said: "My future will be clear next week. Everyone will be pleased - my club as well as me.
"I think I will definitely be here next season. I have been here five years and I want to stay because I love the people, the players are fantastic, the atmosphere at Old Trafford is unbelievable, all the staff are great.
"I never promise anything - I don't promise anything to my mum so I won't promise anything to the supporters. Nobody knows what can happen in the future.
"But I want to stay. I am very happy at this club and since the World Cup, over the last two years I feel the English people have been nice to me and friendly. I enjoy playing in England."
Ronaldo's guarded vow echoed the belief of United assistant manager and compatriot Carlos Queiroz (above), who insisted: "Without doubt Cristiano will stay at Manchester United.
"He's very proud of this team, he has a contract and we have no doubt whatsoever about his permanence with this club."
But Real president Ramon Calderon did his best to keep the story rumbling, suggesting: "The players play where they want. If a player decides to leave he is unstoppable. Slavery was abolished a long time ago so nobody can prevent a player from moving."
And Ronaldo's desire to take on the Bernabeu challenge remains unabated by his triumphs under Sir Alex Ferguson and he has given private assurances the situation will not be the same next June.
As John Terry's spot-kick miss ensured Ronaldo's United glory season ended in the ultimate club success rather than with the winger being the shoot-out villain, the double Footballer of the Year vowed: "Of course I can get better. Every season I've improved.
"And even after my miss I knew my colleagues would do the job. We are the best team in Europe, next season we'll try to do the same."
