A whole host of crucial World Cup 2010 qualifiers coming up. Click here to visit our dedicated centre for all the fixtures, previews and BestPrice betting.

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is confident he will return to action quicker than expected despite being told he faces around a month on the sidelines.

Ronaldo returned to Madrid yesterday after limping out of Portugal’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Hungary and medical tests indicated he would be out of action for “three to four weeks”.

The injury is on the same ankle he was operated on last year, but the Ronaldo has reassured fans it is not related and he expects to make a swift recovery.

“I will work very hard to try to shorten the length of time I’m out, even though now what’s important is to recuperate perfectly so as not to return to having problems,” Ronaldo told AS.

“It’s a different injury to that which I was operated on. It’s got nothing to do with that. I’m calm because I know that with the desire I have to get better and the good work of the physiotherapists at Madrid everything will go very well.”

Madrid will feel aggrieved with Portugal for playing Ronaldo despite him missing La Liga match against Sevilla the previous week with injury.

However, Ronaldo insists there was never any question of him missing out.

“I felt very good, but I wasn’t at 100%, I had a bit of discomfort,” he said. “But I wanted to push myself to help my country go to the World Cup. I’m upset because I was in a good period of form and so being injured again is something that affects me even more.

“I’m not the country’s saviour, but after the defeat against Sevilla, I wanted to help my Real Madrid team-mates win the next few games.”

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