Already a star at the youth level on his home island of Madeira and earning a huge move to Sporting Lisbon at just 12, Cristiano Ronaldo left a small town for a huge city and was forced to adapt to atotally different life, miles away from his family. His spirit and natural flair took him into the Sporting first team, attracting the interest of Manchester United, who bought him in the summer of 2003. This is the story of a player who attracted praise and criticism alike from soccer fans of all stripes yet won over the United fans with his array of tricks, playing an important part in both the 2004 FA Cup Final win and the 2006 Carling Cup triumph and inspiring Portugal to a place in the final of Euro 2004. His dealings with the glare of the media as well as his controversial role in the 2006 World Cup Rooney incident are covered here, as well as his role in inspiring United to the Premiership title and his PFA Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year (more…)

What is for certain is that althoughCristiano Ronaldo’s cream of playing for Real Madrid is of public record, it seems that he is working to seal the books on his transfer to Spain. According to The Guardian, a U.K. based newspaper, Cristiano Ronaldo is intent on playing for Manchester, next year. Cristiano is quoted:

“I’m sure Perez would create an breathtaking team at Madrid but at the moment I’m at United and I don’t care about what happens there. I only care about what will happen next season at Manchester United.”

This may be the final nail in a long drawn media battle between Manchester and Real Madrid that has spanned two Madrid Presidents. Although there is obviously no way to be certain that Cristiano will stay at Manchester, at this stage in the game, Cristiano seems intent on putting out and fires regarding his future, effectively stopping the gossip.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s stance on his staying at Manchester is a clear indication that he is maturing, and thinking about the consequences of his words. He has fought a long battle with Public Relations for quite some time, and seems intent on mending his relationship with Manchester fans specifically and U.K. soccer fans in general. We can only hope that Crisitiano Ronaldo keeps focus and does not fall for journalistic double talk, as long as he is clear that he will remain at Manchester United.