MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo told sports daily Marca on Wednesday that he is determined to become “the best player in history.”
The Real Madrid megastar also made it clear that he aimed to regain the European Footballer of the Year and FIFA World Player awards in 2010.
Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA award in 2008 but came second in the voting this year for both accolades behind Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.
Now he is determined to win back both awards.
“I will win the Ballon d’Or again next year,” he told Marca. “My ambition is to become the best player in history.”
Real smashed the world transfer record in June by paying Manchester United around 94 million euros ($135.25 million) for Ronaldo, aged 24.
He made a good start in Madrid but missed most of the autumn with a badly twisted right ankle.
He reassured the Real fans by telling Marca that “the ankle is now perfect” and that “I will not need an operation. If it were not for the Real Madrid doctors then I would still not be well.”
Ronaldo then praised fellow newcomer Kaka, who has made an uncertain start at the Estadio Bernabeu and is currently out with a groin injury.
“You cannot have doubts about a phenomenon like him (Kaka),” Ronaldo told Marca. “He is irreplaceable for Real, I am sure that he will triumph here.”
He also had words of encouragement for Real coach Manuel Pellegrini, calling him “an intelligent coach who knows how to make us play better and win matches.”
Pellegrini was on the verge of being sacked in October — when the most expensive team in history was thrashed 4-0 in the King’s Cup by third division part-timers Alcorcon — but now looks more sure of himself.
His team is just two points behind Liga leaders Barcelona.
Moving beyond football, Ronaldo told Marca that “the Spanish actress that I most admire is Penelope Cruz.”
He finished the interview by saying that he “really liked” the food in Madrid, but was “not very keen” on bullfighting.
Rival sports daily AS, for its part, claimed on Wednesday that Real Madrid is on the way to raking in around 80 million euros a year because of Ronaldo, through merchandising - in particular, the sale or replica shirts - and publicity.
When they signed Ronaldo, Real insisted on keeping 40 percent of the image rights for the club.
All of Ronaldo’s publicity contracts will be renegotiated in 2010, and Real will demand a higher price for them.
AS claims that Ronaldo “is the most media-friendly footballer in the world today,” far above Messi and David Beckham.
According to AS, Ronaldo and his agents reject around 90 percent of the publicity offers that they receive, “because they do not comply with the requirements” that the winger insists upon.
Gestifute, the Portuguese company that manages Ronaldo’s image rights, keeps 20 percent of the revenue generated. 40 percent goes to the player and his agents, and 40 percent to Real.
A few weeks ago, according to AS, Real suggested that Ronaldo should reject a publicity offer made by a multinational construction company because it would have meant him missing training in order to have an all-day photo and video session.
