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Ronaldo commits to Man Utd amid Real speculation

LONDON (AFP) – Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo said Wednesday he wanted to continue his career at Old Trafford after fresh Spanish 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, who has played a major role in United becoming the reigning English, European and world champions, 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 Spanish sports daily AS said Wednesday 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.

In November his lawyers registered in Portugal the trademark "CR9", a combination of his initials and the number which he would likely be assigned when he joins the Spanish side since the number 7 is already in use by Real captain Raul, the newspaper reported.

The number 9 jersey is currently used by 27-year-old Argentine striker Javier Saviola who is expected to leave the club because he has failing to make an impact since joining from Barcelona in July 2007.

AS, which is close to Real, said the trademark move was "evidence" that Ronaldo, who was named FIFA World Footballer of the Year for 2008 on Monday, "had thought of a future as a Real Madrid player in the short term".

The newspaper reported Tuesday that Ronaldo will join Real in the summer for 85 million euros (113 million dollars) 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 fuelled speculation over a possible move.

Real tracked Ronaldo all of last summer following his Champions League and English Premier League triumphs and 42 goals across the campaign before United boss Sir Alex Ferguson stepped in and emphatically vetoed his departure.

Written by: AFP

Tags: AFP, Argentine, Barcelona, captain Raul, clothing stores, cristiano ronaldo, English Premier League, FIFA, javier saviola, jorge mendes, LA Liga, london, MADRID, Manchester, manchester united, number 9, old trafford, portugal, portuguese national team, ramon calderon, real madrid player, ronaldo, saviola, secret pact, sir alex ferguson, Spain, spanish press, spanish side, spanish sports, target, trademark move, winger, world champions, world footballer of the year

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