Cristiano Ronaldo Insists He'll Never Forget Being Surrounded by 'the Best Players' at Man Utd

Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted he still holds former club Manchester United dear to his heart, and spoke warmly about his time at the club surrounded by some of the best players in the world.

The now-32-year-old is in his ninth season with Real Madrid and it seems like a lifetime ago that he plied his trade in the Premier League.

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But the superstar doesn't forget his time at Old Trafford, and has reflected back on his time as a United player. He said in an interview for Nike football with Rio Ferdinand, as quoted by Goal: 

"I will never forget the Red Devils. I learnt to be better and better, being around the best players in the world. If you make the two things [go together], talent and work hard, you can be a huge player. And I think I'm in that role.

"When I landed here in Madrid I started to feel the atmosphere, I thought it was a game that day because all these people came just to see me. It was a great surprise. It was an unbelievable day, I was so proud.

"I feel inside what the people live for in the football here in Spain, they love it. It was a great day. I just thought in my mind 'I want to go there, to show my level, to show that I'm a different player' and this is what I did."

The Portugal captain will be looking to drag Madrid back towards to the top of La Liga after a stuttering start by Zinedine Zidane's team - Ronaldo was suspended for the first four matches, and is yet to score since returning against Real Betis.