'I want to stay at Real', says Ronaldo
Brazilian striker Ronaldo, whose future at Real Madrid has been the centre of intense speculation, has said he wants to stay at the Spanish giants for several years to come.
Brazilian striker Ronaldo, whose future at Real Madrid has been the centre of intense speculation, has said he wants to stay at the Spanish giants for several years to come.
"I am extremely happy at Real Madrid. I want to stay with the club for many years," said Ronaldo.
The Brazilian was talking after receiving the Golden Foot award, presented annually to a footballer over 29 years old who stands out for their sports results and personality.
The three-time world player of the year and leading all-time World Cup goal scorer saw a move to AC Milan fall through last week after the two clubs failed to agree on a fee.
According to newspaper reports Friday, Ronaldo is still wanted by Milan's city rivals Inter and if he was to head for Italy, Real would swoop for Frenchman David Trezeguet from Juventus.
According to the AS sporting daily, Ronaldo - under contract with Real until 2008 with an annual net salary of 7.5 million euros - is attempting to renegotiate his image rights with the new management of the La Liga runners-up.
Real, who signed Ronaldo in 2002 with Florentino Perez at the helm, own 70 percent of those rights, worth six million euros a year, according to AS.
Ronaldo wants to increase his share, while AC Milan offered him a five-year contract worth 45 million euros and full image rights, the newspaper said.