vivaronaldo.com

MANCHESTER UNITED chief executive David Gill has reiterated that Cristiano Ronaldo will remain at Old Trafford.

The Portugal winger is currently preparing for Euro 2008 after scoring 42 goals last season.

But there is continued speculation about the 23-year-old’s future plans ahead of the tournament in Austria and Switzerland.

United remain bullish about the situation and insist he will stay their player.

“Our position is clear. Sir Alex Ferguson and I stated it in the last week,” said Gill, as he announced they are to play Portsmouth in a dress rehearsal for the Community Shield in Nigeria in July.

“That’s it. That’s all we are going to say on the matter, full stop.”

The exhibition match will be the finale to the Tinapa Business Resorts soccer tournament.

The date and venue have still to be arranged with United travelling to Nigeria from South Africa, where they are involved in the Vodacom Challenge tournament from July 19-26.

Gill said: “It is not the 39th game by stealth, don’t worry about that. It is just a coincidence we are playing Portsmouth.

“Exhibition games overseas can help Manchester United, but also the Premier League in terms of making sure it is at the forefront of those fans’ minds when it comes to selling it.”

Cristiano Ronaldo left Portugal’s first training session in Switzerland in preparation for the European Championship with ice wrapped around his right ankle Monday.

The winger looked to be fine throughout the session but before he returned to the dressing room, doctors taped the ice around his foot. He was not limping and did not appear to be in pain, but the Portuguese medical team didn’t immediately explain what had happened.

Portugal underwent a light training session a day after arriving in the lakeside town of Neuchatel for its final week of preparation before Saturday’s start of the tournament. The players trained and did a few drills before a short session with the ball at La Maladiere Stadium.

The morning practice session, which was closed to fans, lasted about an hour and a half. The team will also train in the afternoon. Tuesday’s practice was expected to be open to fans and tickets have been sold-out for days.

Newly signed Chelsea defender Jose Bosingwa practised separately from teammates, running around the field and doing specific drills with a trainer.

Portugal, the Euro 2004 finalist, debuts Saturday against Turkey in Geneva. Host Switzerland and the Czech Republic are the other two teams in Group A.

About 5,000 fans greeted players and coaches when they arrived from Portugal on Sunday night, waving Portuguese flags and chanting loudly.

“We knew we would be welcomed in here, but this was beyond our expectations,” Portuguese football federation president Gilberto Madail said. “What we saw was unforgettable, but now we must focus on the work we have ahead of our first game.”

About 10,000 Portuguese fans went to Neuchatel to greet the squad on Sunday, city officials said.

Portugal will be based in Neuchatel at least until the semifinals if it progresses that far.

Under Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, Portugal is coming off successful campaigns in recent top competitions. After losing to Greece on home soil in the Euro 2004 final, Portugal reached the 2006 World Cup semifinals, losing to France.

Portugal beat Georgia 2-0 on Saturday in Viseu in its final warm-up match.

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester United’s American owners would do anything in their power to keep Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford.

Ferguson has spoken to the Glazer family about Real Madrid’s attempt to sign Ronaldo, a transfer saga that has turned increasingly spiteful in recent weeks.

The United boss is furious that Real have so publicly tried to unsettle the Portugal winger. United have even threatened to report Real to FIFA, a move which prompted the Spanish champions to back off, but Ferguson is relieved to hear the Glazers back his hardline stance.

“I’ve had a couple of meetings with the Glazers. Their attitude is, ‘To hell with them’. They’d sit a player in the stand, I’m telling you, absolutely no doubt about it, just to prove a point. Not to give in to these people,” Ferguson said.

“They’ve got balls, I can tell you. I’ve been delighted with them in that respect.

“They’ve been good to this club, believe me. They have been brilliant owners.”

Ronaldo, meanwhile, said that he intends to make a decision on his future in the coming days.

“There’ll be news shortly. I’ll make a decision on my future in two or three days,” the told journalists after Portugual’s 2-0 Euro 2008 warm-up win over Georgia on Saturday night.

The Portuguese star leaves with his national team for Switzerland on Sunday for the European championships which get underway on June 7.

Spanish sports paper Marca claims that Ronaldo could follow in the footsteps of Ruud van Nistelrooy by requesting a transfer.

Billing it as an ‘unwritten law of English football’, the paper claims that a formal transfer request is used to indicate displeasure and a desire to move on.

The transfer list, which apparently is not replicated in Spain, is produced by clubs, but players can request in writing their desire to join it. Marca, of course, claims that Ronaldo “might” submit a letter of his own.

This would be done if he had the desire for a change of scenery after the European Championships - with, say, Real Madrid interested in his signature.

Marca further claims that Ruud van Nistelrooy took this step due to his “differences” with Alex Ferguson.

Manchester United are so determined not to sell Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid that they would let him rot on the sidelines rather than cave in to pressure should the player and the Spanish champions try to force through a move. The hardline stance was spelt out by Sir Alex Ferguson and comes directly from the Glazer family, who control United. For United’s American owners, standing up to Real has become a point of principle and they are understood to have echoed in private the vow that Ferguson has made publicly - not to allow the Spanish giants to “ride roughshod” over their club.

“The thing people miss the point about is that I’ve had a couple of meetings with the Glazers,” said Ferguson. “Their attitude is ‘to hell with them’ (Real). They would sit a player in the stand. There’s absolutely no doubt about it. They’d do it just to prove a point and not to give in to these people. They’ve got balls, I can tell you. I’ve been delighted with them in that respect.”

It is believed that Real are ready to test United’s resolve, however, by lodging a world record bid for Ronaldo of as much as £70m. Though Ramon Calderon, the president at the Bernabeu, made comments on Thursday that appeared to end his club’s interest in Ronaldo, it is suspected these were merely to head off United’s threat to report Real to Fifa over their previously public pursuit of the player.

Real will continue private efforts to land Ronaldo and hope that the player can be pressured to drive the transfer himself by asking for a move. The Spaniards believe that this, coupled with the extraordinary sum they are willing to pay, could tempt United to sell. However, the Glazers appear to be standing firm The six children of United’s owner, Malcolm Glazer - Joel, Avram, Bryan, Kevin, Edward and Darcy - were in Moscow for the Champions League final, staying at the United team hotel, and spoke informally to Ferguson about priorities for the summer transfer window. Retaining Ronaldo is top of the list and a letter has reportedly been sent to Real informing them United will not sell their superstar, even if he asks for a move.

Carlos Queiroz, Ferguson’s No 2, stoked up the ill-feeling between the clubs by accusing Real of a “lack of ethics”, and although Calderon has said Real were “not going to start a conflict” over Ronaldo, it has failed to defuse United’s anger. The European champions are upset by comments from Real they believe were aimed at unsettling their player, including the statement from coach Bernd Schuster that the Spaniards have suspended other transfer business in order to concentrate on signing Ronaldo - “a big priority”.

Speaking at Portugual’s Euro 2008 training camp, Ronaldo continued to give the impression his head had been turned by Real’s interest, saying he would “have news” about his future after the championship.

Ferguson, though, is confident his bosses will back his fight to keep his star and hada message for supporters who fought against the Americans’ takeover in 2005. “They (the Glazers) have been good to this club. They’ve been brilliant owners,” he said. “All the nonsense about them taking the club over and putting it in debt . . . every takeover is done by debt. If I wanted to buy Marks & Spencer do you think I could just go under the floorboards and pull out £3bn? No, I’d go to the Bank of Scotland.”

Real Madrid today, took huge measures to calm down the massive public row that has escalated between Real and Manchester United over their very public chasing of United hitman Cristiano Ronaldo.

Late Tuesday United issued a hard hitting statement threatening to report Real to FIFA over their interest in the Portugal winger.

“We have watched with growing irritation the comments attributed to Real Madrid over their alleged desire to sign Cristiano,” the United statement read.

“We will have no alternative but to report Real if it continues to behave in this totally unacceptable fashion.”

United were irritated by comments from Real coach Bernd Schuster claiming the 23-year-old was their number one summer transfer target, despite the fact that Ron has confessed to being ‘happy’ at Old Trafford, and that he is also only just 13 months into a 5 year deal at Old Trafford.

In a bid to take the heat out of the situation Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon declared that the Spanish chmpions did not want “to enter into conflict” with the European champions.

“We’re not going to do anything againt the wishes of a friend like Manchester,” said Calderon as reported in the Spanish media.

“We’re sorry that Manchester are unhappy, but Real have nothing to do with this affair.”

Repeated reports over the past few weeks suggest Real have every intention of going for their man with a lucrative bid of 80 million euros for the United winger.

Calderon added: “We know Manchester are not selling, so why would we persist? It’s a problem between the player and the club.”

According to the club’s boss Real have only let it be known that they are interested in Ronaldo “if he decides one day” to leave England.

Ronaldo is under contract with the English titleholders until 2012. The player himself has not helped the intense speculation by by failing to categorically deny that he might be in the running for a move after last week’s Champions League win over Chelsea in Moscow.

He is currently with the rest of the Portuguese squad at their Euro 2008 training camp and said earlier this week: “What the press speculate about goes over my head.

“I have already been used to it for the past two years.

“I am calm. Everything’s clear and I will repeat it once again so that the whole world understands: there will be news in two or three weeks.

“At the moment I am here, I am going to give my best and do the best possible in the European Championships.”

Sir Alex Ferguson has put the frighteners on Real Madrid, and won the first major psychological battle by threatening to use FIFA to stop the blatant public courting up of the Man Utd hitman.

United have been so annoyed by Real’s “tapping-up” of Cristiano Ronaldo, that they warned that world football’s governing body would be alerted. That threat appears to have had the desired effect as Real president Ramon Calderon was forced into an unbelievable back down, stating that his club had no desire to encourage Ronaldo to leave.

Calderon was advised by fellow high-ranking officials at Real to stop commenting about Ronaldo for fear of a FIFA rap. “We have not interfered with United’s contract agreement with Cristiano Ronaldo,” said Calderon.

“I want to clear this up and assure them we are not going to influence any player to break a contract.

“We’re not going to start a conflict. If a club does not want to sell a player, then why would we insist that they do sell him?”

Despite Calderon’s claim that Real will only make an offer for Ronaldo if the player wants to join them, United know the Spaniards are doing all they can behind the scenes to make the move happen.

With Ronaldo having stated his desire to one day play in Spain, the steady drip of flattering comments towards him from Madrid are designed to turn the player’s head sooner rather than later, and the majority of this has been orchestrated clearly on behalf of the Spanish champions by their Sports paper alliance, Marca.

Manchester United assistant boss Carlos Queiroz has launched an savage attack on the Spanish country and Real Madrid in particular over what he believes are attempts to “naturalise” Cristiano Ronaldo.

Queiroz feels Madrid’s outspoken courting of his Portuguese compatriot is about more than their wish to snap up the gifted winger, claiming it is part of the long history and rivalry between Portugal and Spain.

“Cristiano Ronaldo will never be Spanish! As they will never take Olivenca again,” he told Portuguese newspaper Jornal do Noticias, referring to the small town on the disputed border between the two countries.

Queiroz also delved further into the historic rivalry, alluding to explorer Christopher Columbus - who both countries claim as theirs - and the 60-year Philippine Dynasty when Portugal was ruled by three Spanish kings until the bloodless revolution of 1640.

“They already did the same with Christopher Columbus, and it now seems they want to naturalise Cristiano Ronaldo,” added the United number two. “Have they already forgotten what we did to them in the past? We will never lose our patience.”

Ronaldo is currently with the Portuguese squad getting ready for the forthcoming European Championships, Queiroz knows the furore surrounding Ronaldo’s future could not have come at a worse time.

“It’s being done in a manner to distract the Portugal team, at the height of their preparations for the European Championships,” he said.

“But I am convinced that despite pressure from the Spanish sporting press he will not accept to change his nationality.

“However, it is an attack with a well-defined strategy and Portugal should be worried about that.”

Manchester United has threatened to report Real Madrid to FIFA over the Spanish club’s public and blatant attempts to lure Cristiano Ronaldo away from Old Trafford.

Real Madrid have admitted that they want to buy the United winger, whose 42 goals for the Old Trafford club this season helped United win the Premier League and Champions League trophies.

Although Ronaldo is only 13 months into a five-year deal, Madrid is reported as saying it is willing to pay a world-record transfer of about 60 million pounds (US$118.8 million; €75.6 million) for United’s wide man.

Tired of seeing headlines on a daily basis about Ronaldo’s future, United issued a statement on Tuesday threatening to take action against the Spanish club.

“Manchester United has watched with growing irritation the comments attributed to Real Madrid over their alleged desire to sign Cristiano Ronaldo,” the club said on its Web site. “The facts are: the player is on a long-term contract and his registration is held by Manchester United. The player is not for sale. The club will have no alternative but to report Real Madrid to the world governing body, FIFA, if it continues to behave in this totally unacceptable fashion. These public attempts to unsettle the player are completely against the regulations and the club will not tolerate them any longer.”

United said Madrid’s attempts to buy Ronaldo are also a distraction for the Portuguese national squad as it prepares for next month’s European Championship.

“No one should be in any doubt that Manchester United will do everything in its power to keep its best players,” the club said.