Beckham Tells Ronaldo Not to Follow in His Footsteps

David Beckham has urged Cristiano Ronaldo to reject any overtures from Real Madrid and commit to Manchester United with the European champions braced for the footballer of the year to clarify his career plans.

Ronaldo said over the weekend that he would end the uncertainty surrounding his preference for either Old Trafford or the Bernabéu after weeks of sending mixed messages about his intentions. Real Madrid, who have plundered United to sign Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy in recent years, are ready to submit a world-record transfer bid of around £70m for the Portuguese international.

Yet Beckham, the last No7 to swap United for Real, believes the 23-year-old should remain at the Premier League winners. "I believe he's at the right club now, and a club he should stay at because, as much as Real Madrid are a great team and one of the biggest clubs in the world, he's only just starting at Manchester United," said Beckham, who cost Real some £25m in 2003 after spending a decade at Old Trafford. "He's only been there a few years. He's got a lot of people around him who will protect him. As a fan of Manchester United, I hope he stays there, but who knows what will happen."

Ronaldo, fresh from a campaign which yielded 42 goals, has told media in Portugal of his desire to stay at United while leaving his future open in interviews with Spanish newspapers. Real are hopeful they will secure his services after the European Championship - the player is currently with Luiz Felipe Scolari's Portugal squad preparing for the tournament - though there is an acceptance at the Bernabéu that Real will only be able to sign the winger if he forces through his departure from Old Trafford.

Ronaldo has four years to run on a £120,000-a-week contract and United have threatened to report Real to Fifa over their pursuit of the player. Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted the reigning champions may struggle to retain Ronaldo "in two or three years' time", though further successes in the Champions League could convince him to stay.

Ferguson told Sky Sports: "I'm confident about that. I'm very confident. It's a game they [Real] play all the time. In the past they've done it with Beckham, they've done it with Van Nistelrooy, they've done it with my fitness coach last summer, they took him away from us, so we're used to it. It's great, in a way. It's a compliment to the standard of players that we have, and we always seem to produce, but I am more than confident Cristiano will be there next year."