Ronaldo ready for facing Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo always wanted to face Manchester United in the Champions League and thinks his return to Old Trafford will be like a family reunion.

Ronaldo set to face Man United for the first time since moving to Real Madrid

The two world-renowned clubs are getting ready to face off in the last 16 of Europe, with the first leg at the Bernabeu on 13th February before a second meeting in England on 5th March.



Ronaldo will as a result face United for the first time since his record-breaking £80million transfer to Spain in the summer of 2009.



Redknapp - Heroes welcome for Ronaldo

And the Portuguese superstar said in The Sun: "On the day of the draw, I was out training and I had this strong feeling that we were going to get Manchester United.

"And when the draw was made, I was very happy. It's a tough match, of course. Madrid and United are the two biggest clubs in the world and it's a real 50-50. It could go either way.



"But, for me, it will be a pleasure, a real pleasure. Of course, I know there will be a lot of attention on me but for me there is no pressure, no pressure at all.



"It is only a game, just a football match against my old club. I'm not going to war, I'm going home and I am really looking forward to it."



Ronaldo, who scored an own goal in Real's 1-0 La Liga defeat by Granada on Saturday night, added: "Manchester was my home and still is in my heart.



"I love it. Because when people treat you very well, you never forget that. And I will never forget United, the people who work there and the supporters.



"So I am so happy to be going back to Manchester.



"I will go and see my old house and see my Manchester friends. They're a kind of a family to me there and it will be great. It will be fun."




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Lionel Messi hits 4, Cristiano Ronaldo passes 300 goals

Lionel Messi hit four goals for leaders Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed a hat-trick for Real Madrid as the two teams warmed up for their midweek King's Cup semi-final clash with crushing La Liga victories on Sunday.

Messi took his league tally in 21 games this season to an incredible 33, and to 202 overall, in Barca's 5-1 win at home to 10-man Osasuna while Ronaldo passed 300 club goals and now has 21 this term as Real thumped Getafe 4-0 at the Bernabeu.



Barca's return to winning ways after last weekend's 3-2 reverse at Real Sociedad, their first defeat of the campaign, put them 11 points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid who lost 3-0 at Athletic Bilbao.



Champions Real, whose hopes of a second straight title are effectively over with 17 matches to go, are four points behind Atletico in third spot. Ronaldo struck three times in 10 minutes, the first his 300th club goal.Mourinho, who turned 50 on Saturday, left several key players out of his starting lineup including Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira while goalkeeper Casillas was missing after breaking a bone in his hand in midweek.

The Portuguese, Cristiano Ronaldo who was substituted with 15 minutes left after a knock to his right ankle, scored five for Sporting Lisbon, 118 for Manchester United and now has 179 for Real thanks to his 20th career treble.



Malaga reclaimed Spain's fourth Champions League qualification berth from Andalusian rivals Real Betis when the Qatar-owned club survived the second-half dismissal of Martin Demichelis to win 3-2 at struggling Real Mallorca.



Malaga have 35 points, eight behind Real, and lead Betis on goal difference. Rayo Vallecano continued to defy their modest status and are a point behind Betis in sixth place after they beat the Seville-based side 3-0.



World Player of the Year Messi became the first player to score on 11 successive La Liga matchdays and, at 25, the youngest to reach 200 league goals.



He has scored more goals on his own than all the other La Liga teams apart from Real and Atletico and is on course to smash the record for the most in a season (50) he set last term.

Without Ronaldo, just one shot on goal!

It was a game to gauge Real Madrid's performance in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese striker, who was suspended for the game, always has one eye on taking a shot at the opposition's goal. That is exactly what José Mourinho's side was lacking on Saturday. It had just one shot on goal and it came from Benzema in the last minute.



It was painfully clear that Real Madrid's attacking play overly depends on the work of its Portuguese superstar. It creates many more goalscoring chances with him on the pitch and more importantly, those chances are turned into goals.



It seems inexplicable that a team that fielded Higuaín, Di María, Modric, Callejón and that later brought on Kaká and Benzema could only manage one shot Andrés Fernández's goal. The Osasuna keeper wasn’t troubled in the slightest.



It's strange, but Real Madrid is the team with the most shots on goal in La Liga. It has managed a total of 150 shots, an average of 8.3 shots per game. Barcelona is the team with the second-highest number of shots with 133, or 7.4 per game. Despite these numbers, Madrid was ineffective in attack on Saturday.

Zlatan: ‘Messi too short, Ronaldo useless’

Swedish striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has lashed out at two of the world’s best footballers Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.



­“Messi may have four Golden Balls, but I don’t have to get on a box to buy a chocolate bar in a vending machine,” Ibrahimovic is cited as saying by Argentinean Canchallena website. "As for Cristiano Ronaldo, he’s a privileged spectator, who only watches how Messi receives all his awards. He doesn’t deserve to be in the top three, there are at least ten people better than him."



1.69-meter tall Messi won his fourth straight Golden Ball award (given to the best footballer on the planet) on January 7.



The Argentinean’s Barcelona teammate, Andres Iniesta, and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo finished as the runners up for the prestigious prize.



Ibrahimovic, who didn’t make it into the top three this year, is well known for his temper and controversial statements.



The PSG star also called Man City player Mario Balotelli a “mediocre” player and made some revealing statements about former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, in his autobiography.

Messi apologises to Ronaldo for Ballon d'Or speech

After coming in for heavy criticism Lionel Messi has admitted he regrets his Ballon d’Or speech after receiving the award for a record fourth time in as many years last week.



The Barcelona star came under-fire from some commentators after his acceptance speech snubbed long-term rival and fellow nominee Cristiano Ronaldo, while so openly and enthusiastically congratulating team-mate Andres Iniesta, who was also on the three-man shortlist.



Aside from some being angered by Messi’s omission of Ronaldo from his speech, there were also reports that several media figures were unimpressed with Messi’s behaviour in the pre-gala media conference, claiming he was disinterested and spent most of the time looking at his mobile phone.



Seeing the error of his ways, Messi has since apologised for this incident, admitting that he should have acknowledged Ronaldo.



“I am sorry about that. I didn’t say everything I wanted to," he told France Football.



"I hadn’t prepared anything and didn’t have any notes, but I didn’t want to forget anyone Especially not Tito or Abidal. I should have congratulated Cristiano, too.



"But that’s what always happens to me, the emotion overwhelms me and I lose my train of thought.”



Despite the 'snub', Ronaldo has insisted there is no bad blood between the the two players. “There is no rivalry as to who wins more. Of course we are here to win but there’s no rivalry," he said.



“I am calm about it –it’s not a matter of life and death. Life goes on. I don’t feel frustrated."

Ronaldo now the complete player

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has described Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo as 'the complete player'.



The 27-year-old is due to make his first return to Old Trafford next month, when the two clubs face each other in the Champions League and Ferguson says the Portugal international has improved since leaving England.



"Maturity brings many things," he told Inside United.



"When I went to see them play against (Manchester) City, some of his decision-making in terms of passing was brilliant. One-touch passing, good crosses.



"In the six years we had him, you just saw his game grow all the time, and he was a fantastic player.



"Now you see the complete player.



"His decision-making, his maturity, his experience, plus all the great skills he has got, they all make him the complete player."



Manchester United travel to Spain for the first leg on February 13 before entertaining Madrid at Old Trafford on March 5 and Ferguson is looking forward to the games.



"Obviously you hope that when you draw Real Madrid it's in the final," he said.



"It will be a big, big event - we're the two most high-profile clubs in the world and I think they will be great games."

Wednesday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Paris Saint-Germain chief Leonardo has given the clearest indication yet the club will make a move for Cristiano Ronaldo.



- Chelsea plan to launch a £22million bid for Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini, triggering a buy-out clause in his contract, according to The Times.



- Chelsea Under-21 captain Todd Kane has joined Blackburn Rovers on loan, it has been confirmed.



- Tottenham target Leandro Damiao is unlikely to leave Internacional this month, according to his agent.



- Everton's bid to sign Jake Livermore on loan has been rejected because Tottenham will not strengthen one of their rivals for the Champions League places.



- Manchester United are still interested in signing Galatasaray goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, according to the Daily Mail.



- Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson sent his brother Martin on a scouting mission to Spain to run the rule over exciting Rayo Vallecano striker Leo Baptistao.



- And Manchester United expect to land Crystal Palace starlet Wilfried Zaha for £12million by the end of the January transfer window.



- Liverpool are ready to cut short Nuri Sahin's loan spell at Anfield, putting Borussia Dortmund on alert, according to the Daily Mail.



- Former Liverpool favourite Xabi Alonso has not yet considered signing a new deal with Real Madrid.



- Liverpool defender Andre Wisdom has signed a new long-term contract.



- West Ham are ready to move for Sylvain Distin - which could pave the way for James Tomkins to join Newcastle.



- Groningen defender Virgil van Dijk claims Premier League outfit Everton have expressed an interest in acquiring his services.



- Rennes midfielder Yann M'Vila, who has been linked with a move to Arsenal, is a target for "a lot of clubs," his agent has told Goal.com.



- Steve Clarke has been handed a transfer window boost by keeping hold of Romelu Lukaku on loan from Chelsea until the end of the season.



- Arsenal forward Theo Walcott will sign a new contract by the end of the week, according to the Daily Mail.



- Wojciech Szczesny claims to now be an Arsenal supporter and insists he has no intention of leaving the club.



- Sunderland are confident of seeing off a late challenge from QPR for Danny Graham and believe they would have signed him by now but for a snag over Kenwyne Jones’ proposed move to Swansea.



- Sunderland today completed the signing of Alfred N'Diaye from Turkish side Bursaspor for £3million.



- Harry Redknapp is trying to prise William Gallas from Tottenham to solve Queens Park Rangers’ problems in central defence.



- Crawley midfielder Hope Akpan has joined Reading on a three-and-a-half-year deal for a fee believed to be in the region of £300,000.



- David Beckham will make the eagerly anticipated decision on his football future after crucial talks next week.



- AC Milan have confirmed their interest in appointing former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, who has also been linked with Chelsea, as their next manager.



- They are also lining up a January move for Arsenal and Manchester City target Alessandro Matri.



- And have edged ahead in the race for Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham target Mehdi Benatia.



- Andrea Pirlo believes Chelsea would be foolish to allow fellow midfielder Frank Lampard to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.



- Juventus are ready to break the bank to land Didier Drogba on an 18-month loan deal, according to reports in France.



- Barcelona president Sandro Rosell insists Arsenal will not sign David Villa this month.



- Real Betis have opened the door for defensive midfielder Jose Canas to join Swansea.



- Arsenal are considering stepping up their interest in Anderlecht midfielder Lucas Biglia, according to the Daily Mirror.



- Napoli forward Eduardo Vargas has been offered to Arsenal, according to the Daily Mail.



- Lazio president Claudio Lotito has denied that they are chasing Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard.



- AS Roma’s Pablo Osvaldo has caught the eye of German giants Bayern Munich who are very interested in the striker, according to TuttoMercatoWeb.



- Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp says he has not given up hope of persuading star striker Robert Lewandowski to sign a new deal at the club despite strong interest from Manchester United.



- Inter Milan have confirmed they have accepted a bid for Wesley Sneijder from Galatasaray.



- But Sneijder is keen on a move to a "top" Premier League club, his agent has told BBC Sport.



- Paris St Germain have attempted to distance themselves from reports suggesting they are looking to put deals in place for Chelsea full-back Ashley Cole and Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.



- Marseille coach Elie Baup has hinted Loic Remy might stay at the Ligue 1 club and scupper Newcastle's chances of signing the talented striker.



- Former Chelsea and Liverpool target Andreas Laudrup is set to join St Etienne on loan.



- Maarten Stekelenburg's agent has left the door open for the Dutch goalkeeper to leave AS Roma despite no current offers.



- Celtic have confirmed Israel defender Rami Gershon has joined the club on loan from Standard Liege until the end of the season.



- Motherwell have taken Huddersfield Town striker Kallum Higginbotham on loan until the end of the season.



- According to Lancenet, a deal has been agreed that will see former Corinthians midfielder Elias join Flamengo on loan later this week.



- Slovakian midfielder Jan Gregus looks set to complete his one-year loan move to Bolton Wanderers.



- Leeds striker Andy Gray is set for a second spell at Bradford City after agreeing an 18-month deal with the Bantams.



- Millwall have boosted their attacking options with the signing of Bristol City winger Martyn Woolford.



- Bernard Mensah has committed his long-term future to Watford by signing a new contract with the club.



- Rotherham have confirmed that Peterborough winger Daniel Kearns has joined the club on loan.

Monday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo is keen on returning to former club Manchester United next summer, according to The Sun.



- Santos striker Neymar, who has been linked with the likes of Barcelona, Manchester United and Real Madrid, has emerged as a target for Manchester City, according to the Sunday Telegraph.



- Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez insists Fernando Torres is fully behind the club's bid to bring in a new striker during the January transfer window, with the Blues widely believed to be preparing to launch a bid for Atletico Madrid star Radamel Falcao.



- Chelsea star Eden Hazard dreams of playing for Real Madrid, international team-mate Christian Benteke has told The Sun.



- Romelu Lukaku hopes Chelsea will allow him to see out a season-long loan at West Brom, rather than recall him in January.



- Tottenham defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto has played down reports that he could join Chelsea, telling Sky Sports: "I have a contract until 2015 with Spurs and I do not know if they want to sell me, so for me it is paper talk."



- Valencia have made a move to snatch Arsenal and Liverpool target Isaac Cuenca on loan from Barcelona.



- Manchester United are among a string of Premier League clubs tracking Sporting Lisbon youngster Carlos Mane.



- Sampdoria have told Manchester City to give up their pursuit of Pedro Obiang - and have warned them they will face competition from Napoli and Juventus when the Serie A side finally decide to cash in.



- Stoke City will sell midfielder Michael Tonge to Leeds United in January.



- Arsenal and Liverpool target Fernando Llorente is expected to leave Athletic Bilbao on a free transfer next summer rather than move clubs in January, according to reports in Spain.



- Denilson says he does not know if he will return to Arsenal when his loan spell at Sao Paulo comes to an end next summer.



- Jack Wilshere is hoping Theo Walcott will become the latest Arsenal player to commit his long-term future to the club.



- Stewart Downing claims he has never wanted to leave Liverpool and hopes his return to form will earn him an extended stay.



- Manchester United target Viktor Fischer says it is too early to contemplate leaving Ajax



- West Ham are set to renew their interest in Charlton defender Chris Solly when the transfer window reopens in January.



- West Ham are set to make a decision in the next week if they are to make a permanent move for Seattle Sounders midfielder Osvaldo Alonso.



- Swansea City could face competition from Atletico Madrid for the signature of Iago Aspas.



- FC Nordsjaelland star Jores Okore is flattered by speculation linking him with a possible move to Manchester United.



- Barcelona director of football Andoni Zubizarreta has rejected reports linking David Villa with a move away from Camp Nou in January.



- AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has confirmed that Brazilian duo Robinho and Alexandre Pato have both asked to leave the club.



- Adel Taarabt has claimed that while his agent has spoken to AC Milan, other factors would have to happen before any move to the San Siro.



- Salomon Kalou is determined to be a success at Lille and is not looking for a move, according to his representative.



- Bastia have announced the signing of goalkeeper Mickael Landreau on a deal until the end of the season.



- Blackburn defender Gael Givet could be set for a return to France in the January transfer window.



- Nicky Weaver has admitted he may have to leave Sheffield Wednesday in the January transfer window.



- Leeds United boss Neil Warnock has warned rival clubs that Luciano Becchio will be off-limits in the January transfer window.



- Huddersfield have extended Jermaine Beckford's loan deal from Leicester until the end of the season.

Ronaldo's battered Ferrari for sale on eBay

The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano F1 totaled in January 2009 was listed on eBay with a starting price of $64,000-plus. A brand-new version would cost about $322,000. The listing was removed after media reported on the sale, prompting speculation it might return later with a higher asking price.



With 3,099 kilometres on the clock, the vehicle would cost €250,000 new, according to 'Autoplus.fr', which revealed that the seller is a car parts dealer based in Duppigheim.



The car "is reparable", according to the French media, referring to the photos posted on eBay, which included photos of the car's documentation in the Real Madrid player's name.

Potential buyers can also obtain the Ferrari's "complete technical documentation" through the seller.



Bizarrely, the listing was taken down from the site early this morning after Spanish, French and Portuguese media reported on its sale.



It prompted speculation on Twitter that it could return online later this week with a much higher initial sale price.



According to the inautonews.com website, the car was sold to the French dealer by another salesman in Portugal earlier this month.



The Portuguese player crashed his Ferrari into a roadside barrier on a Manchester road. The winger, who was playing for Manchester United at the time, wrecked the front end of the car when he hit a barrier inside a tunnel close to Manchester airport.



Ronaldo escaped the dramatic accident unharmed and he spoke to police officers at the scene before heading to the English club's training ground in Carrington.

Cristiano Ronaldo donates €1.5 million

Cristiano Ronaldo donates €1.5 million to a cause supporting Palestine children.

The Portuguese forward raised the money from the sale of sports shoes by his club's charity foundation, which will dedicate the funds to schools in Gaza following an auction.



Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has donated €1.5 million to Palestinian children in Gaza, the Arabic site of the club's 'Classico' network has revealed.



Ronaldo gave away his golden boot sport shoes which he earned in 2011 to the foundation, which in turn sold the boots at a public auction and will now dedicate the funds to schools in Gaza.

Mancini - Balotelli can be as good as Cristiano or Messi

Roberto Mancini claims Manchester City's Mario Balotelli can be as good as Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi - if he could only keep his focus.

City boss Mancini left Balotelli out of the squad to face Tottenham earlier this month because of what he felt was a poor attitude in training.



That sparked fresh speculation the 22-year-old could leave City but Mancini insisted he has no intention of selling his former Inter Milan protege and has now urged him to focus fully on his football.



The rewards for that, he believes, could elevate him to the level of the world's best players.



Mancini said: "Mario, outside the pitch, is a fantastic guy.





"Sometimes he doesn't understand which is your job, and how his job is important for his life, but I hope for him that he can understand this quickly.



"Now he is 22 but life can go quickly and I hope he can improve everything because as a player he could be like Cristiano and Messi, if he understands that to be like this you should work hard, your mind should be always on your job, not on the other things that are not important. I am very sorry for him for this.



"He has everything to be one of the best players in the world."



Balotelli was spotted in a nightclub in the early hours of the morning prior to the November 11 Spurs game, although no curfew was broken as Mancini had already informed him he would not be playing.



Mancini has remained fiercely loyal to Balotelli throughout his near two-and-a-half years at City despite a number of controversial incidents on and off the field.



The 47-year-old hopes he can oversee Balotelli's development into the player he believes he should be.



Mancini added of his fellow Italian: "It is not too easy to work with him every day because if you are a manager, you should manage 22 players.



"This is difficult sometimes but I hope he can change his mind."

Penalty taker specialist 

A back injury sustained on recent international duty prevented Balotelli from returning to the side in Saturday's 5-0 Premier League win over Aston Villa.



He remains doubtful for Wednesday Champions League clash against Ronaldo's Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium but has trained.



Mancini said: "Yesterday he trained with the physio and tomorrow and today he will train with the team and we will see if he can play."