Cristiano Ronaldo insists he's committed to Real Madrid

Andy West 07:57 10/12/2015
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  • Goal-scoring machine: Cristiano Ronaldo.

    After breaking yet another goalscoring record, Cristiano Ronaldo has assured Real Madrid fans that he wants to stay with the club.

    The Portuguese’s four-goal haul in Tuesday’s 8-0 Champions League thrashing of Malmo means he has finished the group stage with 11 goals – the highest personal tally ever achieved, beating his own record which he set in 2013 and equalled last season by Luiz Adriano of Shakhtar Donetsk.

    It was also the first time that Ronaldo has scored four goals in a Champions League game, and leaves him well ahead of Lionel Messi as the competition’s all-time leading scorer, currently holding an 88-80 advantage.

    The comfortable winning margin was another suggestion that Madrid are finding their feet after a rocky patch, with Ronaldo and his teammates on a run of five consecutive victories since last month’s 4-0 Clasico humiliation against Barcelona.

    And Ronaldo has now given Los Blancos fans more reason for cheer by refuting suggestions that he is preparing to leave the Bernabeu and join either Manchester United or Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season.

    “These reports are just speculation,” he said. “Every year the same thing has happened. “I am relaxed and I feel at home at a club which has helped me a great deal, and I am very happy here.”

    He was also keen to play down his relationship with PSG boss Laurent Blanc, with whom he shared a warm pitchside embrace after the recent meeting between the teams to spark another flood of rumours.

    “The thing with Blanc is simple,” he explained. “If someone treats me well, I’ll talk to them. Obviously it doesn’t mean anything more than that.”

    Ronaldo also offered strong public backing to manager Rafa Benitez, who has been barracked by a significant section of Madrid fans before the last two games.

    Benitez has struggled to fully win over the club’s supporters since being appointed to replace Carlo Ancelotti in the summer, but Ronaldo says the experienced coach should be given a fair chance to get things right.

    “I don’t see why there is a problem and I was surprised that the manager was whistled,” said Ronaldo. “People can say what they like, but he is doing a good job.

    “Everybody criticises a club like Real Madrid when things don’t go right. But we are used to it. We’re fine, on a good run of results and we’ll continue like this.”

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