Post by QPR Report on Dec 18, 2008 15:38:08 GMT
The Times December 18, 2008
Sir Alex Ferguson 'wouldn’t sell Real Madrid a virus’ let alone Cristiano Ronaldo
Sir Alex Ferguson has reacted furiously after Real Madrid claimed they had struck a secret deal to sign Cristiano Ronaldo.
After guiding his side to the final of the Club World Cup final by beating Gamba Osaka 5-3 in Tokyo, Ferguson was asked his opinion of the Spanish club's claim that a gentlemen's agreement had been struck for Ronaldo and that a transfer would be concluded during the close season.
"Do you think I would enter into a contract with that mob?" he said. "No chance. I would not sell them a virus. That is a 'no' by the way. There is no agreement whatsoever between the clubs."
Reports in Spain yesterday attributed the claims to Pedro Trapote, a Real Madrid director and ally of Ramón Calderón, the president.
"Real blame anybody but themselves," he said. "I said to (chief executive) David Gill a year last summer when we sold Gabriel Heinze he could bet his life this stuff will all start up around Ronaldo in January. It will happen again this January.
"We just have to ignore it. If we worry about what Real Madrid have to say we are not concentrating on our own publicity and the programme of difficult games we have got coming up.
"Sometimes they create an angry situation and sometimes I get really annoyed with them. But we know their game. I think we should play ours and ignore them."
Ferguson's comments come less than 24 hours before tomorrow's Champions League draw, with Real one of five potential opponents for United in the knock-out rounds. United remain in Japan after the semi-final of the Club World Cup in which Wayne Rooney scored twice.
"I think Wayne can be a No 9," Ferguson said. "We are trying to develop him that way. We have tried to play him there for most of the season.
"His movement, strength and penetration are very good. For the third goal that really killed them he made two runs, across and back and across and behind. They were really clever.
"It marks out the quality he can give you in that position and he will improve from there."
