Cristiano Ronaldo has once again reaffirmed he is "at the right club" amid fresh speculation over his Manchester United future.
Neither the player nor his manager Sir Alex Ferguson were happy that the issue was raised again ahead of tomorrow night's Champions League tie with FC Porto. Ferguson wondered aloud "how many times" more he would have to endure this line of questioning before describing the continued speculation as "pathetic". Ronaldo shrugged and said: "We always have this question."
The 24-year-old simply repeated the position he has stuck to since reaffirming his commitment to United last summer after a face-to-face meeting with Ferguson appeared to put a stop to rumours linking him with a move to Real Madrid. "I am happy at this club. I think it is the right club," said Ronaldo.
One of the reasons Ronaldo is said to favour a move to La Liga is that he has become fed up of being targeted by opposition defenders, eager to stop the former Sporting Lisbon star by whatever means possible. Yet Ronaldo does not feel he is suffering any more than he has done at other stages since arriving in England six years ago.
"It has always been like that," he said. "It is not only this season that defenders have kicked me to try and stop me. It is just normal."
Ronaldo played a major role in taking United back to the top of the Premier League yesterday with his two-goal haul against Aston Villa that took his seasonal tally to 20. United are now a point ahead of Liverpool, with a game in hand.
"We are the best team in England," Ronaldo said. "We have shown that by being top of the table. That speaks for itself. We respect all our opponents but if we carry on winning, we will win the title again."
Indeed, United are still on track to record an unprecedented quintuple, with Ronaldo not quite being as dismissive about the project as Ferguson. "We have a chance to win everything this season," said Ronaldo. "First we have to beat FC Porto. After that, we must carry on."
• This article was amended on Tuesday 7 April 2009. In the article above we said Cristiano Ronaldo was 23, he is actually 24. This has been amended.
