Ronaldo would rather not face United

(GSM) – Real Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo is desperate to avoid his former club Manchester United in the first knock-out phase of the Champions League.

Ronaldo left Old Trafford for Real Madrid in an whooping £80million summer switch and he could come up against his former team-mates as early as February. But the Portuguese winger admits he is still in touch with his friends from United and it would be very odd to play against them.

Ronaldo, 24, said: ‘I don’t want to play against Manchester. It will be a strange feeling if I play them.”

“Mr Ferguson has helped me a lot in my career. I was there six years and he taught me many things. I keep the same relationship with him. He’s a good friend of mine. I still have the same friends.

“I sometimes speak to Wayne Rooney, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Nani, Patrice Evra, Anderson.”

However, the knockout stage draw on Dec 18 will keep the two teams apart if Real Madrid finish above AC Milan in their group and Manchester United consolidate top position in Group B.

Ronaldo has also revealed a burning desire to be remembered in the same scale as footballing luminaries Pele and Maradona.

“If my legs let me play until I’m 40, I want to play. But I want to be in the first page of history, the same as Maradona and Pele,” he added.