Cristiano Ronaldo is Staying at Man United and He’ll Always be a Winker

Cristiano Ronaldo will always be a winker: So says the London Sun who has condemned the footballer for what it calls a shameless display of blatant grovelling."

Having spent the summer saying he wanted to join Real Madrid, Ron insisted: "I never wanted to leave against United's will.

"When they turned down the offer, the people at United made it very clear how much they wanted me.

"I didn't fully understand it at the time - but now I can really appreciate it."

Sir Alex Ferguson said Friday he was confident Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo will remain with Manchester United for longer than a single season.

The Portuguese superstar yesterday affirmed his loyalty to the European and English champions for the upcoming season at least, but made it clear that he was still dreaming of playing in Spain.

And Ferguson thinks he could keep Ronaldo for longer.

"As he gets older I think he will appreciate being here more and more," said Ferguson.

"The longer people stay at this club you tend to not want to leave.

"Rio Ferdinand is an obvious example of that. But really I'm just pleased we have managed to put all this Real Madrid stuff to bed. They know what they are dealing with now."

Nowhere though is the resentment felt more so than in the local press.

"He'll always be a winker," Neil Custis of the Sun wrote of Ronaldo:

"(You) say ". . . money isn't everything" and add that if it was it would have been easy to stay at United. You drivel on about what a special place United fans will always have in your heart. Well, you might get a bit of a shock the next time you trot out at Old Trafford.

Because living in this great city I know exactly what the red half thinks of your winking antics since the European Cup was lifted. Many United supporters are fed up with you, Ronaldo. Many wanted United just to take the cash, re-invest it and move on."

Ferguson has urged fans to go easy on Ronaldo.

Throughout the drawn-out transfer saga, which Ronaldo admitted to having stoked, Ferguson reserved his anger for the Spanish club and shielded his prized asset.

"The fans have got to understand that a young boy can be tempted by all this money, particularly a young lad from Madeira," Ferguson said. "His father died (three years ago) when he was a young man and he's had to look after his mother, sister and brother."

Ronaldo said he was seeking a new challenge. "After we'd won the Champions League, I felt that in five years I had helped (the club) win everything there was to win. I never hid the fact that I wanted to play in Spain, at Real Madrid in particular, and I thought this could be the right moment."

The new football season kicks off August 16 with Manchester United facing New Castle. Betting online was available at bet365.com here

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Alistair Prescott, Gambling911.com