It seems it takes £80m to make a player wear a jersey that is no more red, however to take the Red out of him is next to impossible. Real Madrid’s latest and most expensive acquisition, Cristiano Ronaldo, has opted to speak out in favour of former Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney, hailing the powerful Englishman’s ability and attitude, adding that he would “die for the team”.

The two players had an infamous confrontation at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, during an England and Portugal quarter-final. Ronaldo winked to his bench following Rooney’s dismissal and became a notorious hate figure upon his initial return to the Premier League. It took strong man-management from Sir Alex Ferguson to calm the situation and see Ronaldo attain new heights of glory while Rooney was happy to sacrifice himself for the team.

Ronaldo has now lauded the stocky striker, claiming Rooney to be the best in the division. “It is a league of amazing talent, but for me the stand-out player is Wayne Rooney,” he told The Sun.

“His ability is fantastic, but his attitude when he plays football is that he is willing to die for the team.”

Many commentators have spoken out over Manchester United’s diminished chances of title retention after losing Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez, whose two year loan deal expired this week.

However, the World Player of the Year believes Ferguson’s squad will triumph come May 2010.

“For me they will still win the Premier League next year and I hope for a long time to come,” he declared.

Well, we might not like your guts for moving to Madrid, but we might have fallen in love with you again.

Tagged as: Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney