Ronaldo won't join Man City while 'father-figure' Ferguson is at United

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently claimed he was unhappy at Santiago Bernabeu, will never join his former club Manchester United's fierce rivals Manchester City till Sir Alex Ferguson is the boss at Old Trafford.

According to sources close to Ronaldo, the Portuguese international shares a very close bond with Ferguson, whom he treats as a father figure, and he won't risk hurting the Scott by joining wealthy City.

"Cristiano has always been close to Alex Ferguson, and even now, they still talk. Cristiano simply would not risk hurting him by joining Ferguson's immediate rivals," the Sun quoted a source close to Ronaldo, as saying.

Knowing how close Ronaldo is to Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, it's seems unlikely that he will move to Manchester City. Pic/AFP

Ronaldo recently spelt out just what Ferguson meant to him.

"When I arrived at United I was 18, and Sir Alex was like a father to me. He taught me many things. I worked with him for six years, and he is a great human, a great coach. Sir Alex and Jose Mourinho are the two best coaches in the world," Ronaldo said.u00a0

The striker sparked a storm of media speculation over his future on Monday by saying he was 'sad' at the club.

Ronaldo then clarified that money was not the reason he felt 'sad' after failing to celebrate his two goals against Granada on Sunday.

But the striker's words sparked speculation that he could on his way out at the end of the season.

Ronaldo earns around 12 million euros a year at Real Madrid, but recent signings, such as that of Didier Drogba for Shanghai Shenhua mean that he has dropped to tenth in the list of top-earning footballers.u00a0