Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted that he would love to play again with former Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney.
Ronaldo left Old Trafford to join Real Madrid in the summer for a world record transfer fee of £80 million, but maintains that he still has many friends at the club and that he can imagine playing alongside Rooney in the future.
Rooney has scored 19 goals in his last 19 games to much critical acclaim, while Ronaldo has netted 12 in 14 in what has been an injury-disrupted first season at the Bernabeu. However, the Portuguese winger has not been surprised by Rooney’s exploits.
“The form of Rooney does not impress me, because of the quality he has,” he said. “He was always brilliant. This season he is playing very well and scoring many goals, but he is not a different player – he is a winning guy.
”I hope to play with him again some day. Anything is possible. I am really happy for him this season, and not just for him but for the other players at Manchester.”
Despite his move to Spain, Ronaldo said he was still in touch with many of his old team-mates.
”First of all, I speak with the boss, Ferguson, sometimes,” he said. ”Rooney I speak with… Rio, Vidic, Evra, Nani, Anderson – many of them. Just because I have left the club does not mean my relationship with these guys ends. I have spent many years playing with them and they are still my friends. But what I speak to the boss about is private.”
