David Beckham has encouraged Cristiano Ronaldo to stay at Man Utd, rather than join Real Madrid.
United winger due to make announcement on future
David Beckham has encouraged Cristiano Ronaldo to stay at Manchester United, rather than join Real Madrid.
Ronaldo is currently considering his future following Real's well-publicised interest and is due to make an announcement later this week.
United are determined not to sell the Portuguese winger and Real have intimated that they have given up on signing the 23-year-old.
Beckham, who left United for Real five years ago, can understand the lure of accepting a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
But the 33-year-old believes Ronaldo would be best served by spending the next stage of his career still under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Right club
"I believe he's at the right club 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.
"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?"
Beckham, who was given the England captaincy for Sunday's friendly win over Trinidad & Tobago, also expects Ronaldo to be named the World Player of the Year after winning a Premier League and UEFA Champions League double, in addition to scoring 42 goals for United last season.
"It's none of my business," added Beckham. "All I'm going to say to him is congratulations on an amazing season.
"I'm sure he'll be crowned World Player of the Year and he deserves it."
