Ronaldo adamant he’s not chasing Real deal

Arriving back in Madrid after helping his country to World Cup qualifying wins against Luxembourg and Azerbaijan, Ronaldo wrote on his Facebook page it was “now time to return to the club and think only about my club”.

He added: “I would like to |reaffirm, without being concerned about contracts, that my focus is |solely on winning every game and every available trophy with the essential company of my team-mates and all Madridistas.”

Ronaldo dropped a bombshell after Real's match at home to Granada this month when he told reporters he was “sad” for professional reasons, prompting speculation he might be seeking an exit.

The world's most expensive player, who reportedly earns around ¤11million a season, had earlier refused to celebrate his two goals in the 3-0 La Liga victory and would not elaborate on the reasons for his sadness.

He said only that “those who worked in the club” knew why.

Local media have claimed he doesn't feel appreciated and wants more cash, while pro-Real sports daily Marca said on Tuesday he had asked the club to up his salary to a post-tax ¤15m and extend his contract.

DUMPS

The 27-year-old former Manchester United star has denied he is down in the dumps because he is not earning enough, but has yet to provide any other explanation.

Meanwhile, Aleksandar Kolarov is relishing the prospect of facing Ronaldo after dealing with the threat of another wing wonder, Gareth Bale.

Manchester City full-back Kolarov was part of the Serbia side that hammered Bale’s Wales 6-1 in Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier in Novi Sad.

Wales boss Chris Coleman had warned Kolarov to expect a tough examination against Bale.

But the City defender had the last laugh as he opened the scoring with a free-kick and played a part in the home side’s second and third goals as the Dragons were vanquished emphatically.

The Premier League champions meet Stoke at the weekend, but then face the daunting task of travelling to the Bernabeu to face Real Madrid in their opening Champions League Group D clash.

And Kolarov, 26, knows just how crucial stopping Ronaldo, who has come in for criticism after claiming he is “sad” at Real, will be if City are to get a result in Spain.

“I knew about Bale from the Premier League, I’ve played against him before and I know how good he is but we kept him quiet,” he said. “He scored a great free-kick but apart from that we did not have many problems.

“Ronaldo is something different. Everyone knows about him, there’s nothing much more that you can say about him.

“He’s a special player – with Messi he is the best player in the world. So to play against someone like that will be a big test.

CONFIDENT

“He played for Man United too so he will want to score against us. But I’ll be confident because City can go to Madrid with confidence.

“It should be a great night for the club. We are the champions of England and they will know it will not be an easy night for them as well. Everyone at Man City will look forward to going there.”

City were eliminated in the group stages of last season’s Champions League, and they face a tough task this time around with their group being completed by Ajax and Borussia Dortmund.