Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has reaffirmed his desire to stay with the La Liga runners-up after signing a new contract - keeping him at the club until June 2018. The deal is set to make him a reported £14M a year, reports BBC Football. The 28-year old revealed his delight to have extended his stay, which was originally was set to be until 2015, before he held talks with the club's president Florentino Perez.
'I'll be here five more years. I just want to win trophies for this club. I appreciate the fans and I want to give my best on the pitch. My club is Real Madrid. This is my home, my family is here and I'm really happy here.'
There were rumours emerging this summer that the Portuguese international could be rejoining his former side Manchester United, but he refuted such claims, and Madrid and United both admitted there was no contact over Ronaldo's availability. Ronaldo himself also ruled out the possibility of a move, and added how he wants to end his career in Spain.
'I will be honest with you, Manchester is in the past. My only goal is to be here and to play at this club until, maybe, the end of my career.'
With Tottenham forward Gareth Bale joining this summer for a world-record fee (eclipsing Ronaldo's £80M), many felt there could be a power struggle within the side, but the pair have looked to be getting on great in training, and both scored in Madrid's 2-2 draw against Villareal.
Crippy Cooke, 23, is a freelance Football Writer contributing to What Culture. He's had work featured on Zoo, MSN, London 24, The Telegraph, The Huffington Post, and was recently named Writer of the Year on FTBpro - while also a nominee for Best Male Blog in the Football Blogging Awards.
