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World Soccer News Updates

01/14/2009

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed he wanted to continue his career at Old Trafford after fresh press reports linked him with a move to Real Madrid at the end of the season.

The Portugal winger has long been a target of Real interest but the 23-year-old said: "I know it will be hard but I want to achieve even more things with these great players we have at United.

"We can dominate. Manchester has a lot of young players - myself included - so the future for the club looks good. I want to be here, to be a part of the success that I believe lies ahead."

Ronaldo has registered in Spain the trademark "CR9" in a move which AS said was an "obvious" sign that the striker will join Real Madrid at the end of the season.

He already operates two clothing stores in Portugal under the "CR7" trademark, a combination of his initials and the shirt number he wears for both the English side and the Portuguese national team.

The number 9 Real Madrid shirt is currently used by 27-year-old Argentine striker Javier Saviola who is expected to leave the club.

AS reported on Tuesday that Ronaldo will join Real in the summer for €85 million under a secret pact made between Real president Ramon Calderon, the player and his agent Jorge Mendes.

After picking up the FIFA World Footballer of the Year award, Ronaldo told Spanish public television station TVE that he was learning Spanish, a comment that further fuelled speculation over a possible move in the summer.

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World Soccer

01/24/2009

Kaka has played down the prospect of joining Manchester City, saying he plans to stay at Milan.

The Serie A outfit confirmed earlier on Wednesday that they met with a City delegation on Tuesday to discuss their interest in the Brazilian playmker.

City were reportedly prepared to offer £100million to persuade Milan to sell the 2007 World Player of the Year.

Kaka's adviser Diogo Kotscho had indicated that the player would consider a move to City, if they matched his ambition, but the 26-year-old has committed his long-term future to the Rossoneri.

"As long as the club keep high objectives, my desire will always be to stay at Milan," Kaka told Mediaset, which is also owned by Milan president Silvio Berlusconi.

"I want to get old here and my objective for the future is to become this team's captain. I know there is a hierarchy and Maldini and (Massimo) Ambrosini are before me, but after..."

"I refused important offers in the past."

Kaka has a contract with Milan until 2013 and the news will be a huge boost to coach Carlo Ancelotti as they look to challenge rivals Inter for the Serie A title.

Milan had earlier confirmed that their chief executive Adriano Galliani had met officials from City on Tuesday to discuss Kaka's future.

In a statement, the club said: "Galliani received a delegation from Manchester City yesterday in Milan as a gesture of courtesy like always in these cases. There are no talks at the moment."

Kaka's spokesman Diogo Kotscho warned City it would need more than a large cheque to persuade the player to leave Milan.

"Kaka wouldn't do anything based on money," Kotscho told Corriere dello Sport. "He would never do something like Robinho, who, just to earn more, contented himself with a solution that was not a winning one."

Man Utd play one of their two Premier League games in-hand this Wednesday when ex-Red Devil Steve Bruce brings his Wigan side to Old Trafford.

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