Ronaldo could be close to extend his Real Madrid contract until 2018

Cristiano Ronaldo's current contract with Real Madrid will expire in about 3 years (2015), but according to a few Spanish newspapers, the Portuguese player is said to be very close to extend his stay at the club for another 3 years, until 2018.

According to reports published on the Spanish press this last weekend, Cristiano Ronaldo may have made a verbal agreement to extend his contract with Real Madrid until 2018. The Portuguese phenomenon signed a 6-years contract with the Merengues back in 2009, setting a new world-record due to the impressive 94 million euros transfer fee (around 80 million pounds and 132 million US dollars at the time), that was paid to Manchester United. With still 3 years left on Ronaldo's current contract, SportYou.es and Marca.com disclosed a few details about what Florentino Pérez offered to CR7, in order to hold the Merengues' most valuable asset in Spain, at least for the another 6 years.

The 27-years old forward is marking an era not only in Real Madrid, but in football history. Breaking record after record over the past seasons, keeps raising Cristiano Ronaldo status as a living legend in the sport and Real Madrid's president, Florentino Pérez, is probably well aware of how important the Portuguese player is for the club's future. Over the last days, the Spanish press has insisted in the idea that there is a verbal agreement between Ronaldo and Real Madrid, for both parties to close a new deal when the current season ends. The new contract will consist in extending the current one that ends in 2015, and set it to expire in 2018. If all goes well, Cristiano Ronaldo would keep playing for Real Madrid at least for 6 more years, until he's 33 years old!

The biggest Spanish sports newspaper, Marca.com, pointed out that Cristiano Ronaldo was feeling unhappy at the club back in December, mainly because of the way he started being treated by the Santiago Bernabéu fans, when Real Madrid lost against Barcelona at home by 1-3. The Portuguese player then ended up having a meeting with Florentino Pérez and Jorge Mendes (Ronaldo's agent), on which the club's president felt the need to show that the club was fully committed to support him and for that reason being, he placed a new contract on the table.

Cristiano Ronaldo current paycheck is nearly 10 million euros per year (net), and believing in what has been spread on the Spanish press, the new contract would allow the Portuguese player to start earning between 13 to 15 million euros each year. As said before, this new agreement would allow football fans to see Ronaldo wearing the Real Madrid jersey until 2018 and from that point onwards, the club and the player would have to agree terms on a yearly basis, depending on objectives. If this alleged verbal deal ends up being true, it should only be announced at the end of the current season and it will probably prevent the usual Summer speculation about a possible CR7 move, to clubs such as Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, AC Milan or even FC Anzhi.

With so much at stake for Real Madrid over the next weeks, both in La Liga and in the UEFA Champions League, it isn't expected that anyone from the club will talk about these rumors anytime soon. Nonetheless, it was indeed curious to note that for the first time since Cristiano Ronaldo arrived to Real Madrid, this Saturday night against Sporting Gijón the Portuguese player celebrated a goal by pointing his finger to the club's badge and symbol, which was a good way of showing his love and dedication for Real Madrid. New chapters on this story are likely to take place by May or June.

Cristiano Ronaldo biggest fans are probably already inside Real Madrid locker rooms, as not only Karanka, but also Callejón and Sergio Ramos came to public recently to praise the Portuguese player and rank him as the best football player in the World. With the Clasico arriving next week, CR7 will certainly try to keep his recent form and continue scoring goals in all sort of manners.

Cristiano Ronaldo mesmerizing performance against Atletico Madrid left no one indifferent, as the Portuguese player bagged another hat-trick (his 7th this season) in his career and reached his 40th goal in the Spanish League. Sergio Ramos and Callejón confessed to be delighted with CR7's contribution to Real Madrid and they didn't think twice when they had to describe and rank their teammate. The two Spanish players are convicted that Cristiano Ronaldo owes nothing to Barcelona's Lionel Messi, since the Portuguese forward is pretty much the best football player in the World at this stage of the season.

Sergio Ramos partnership with Pepe has been proving to be a solid one, with Real Madrid conceding only 28 goals out of 32 games played in La Liga so far. The Spanish defender, who has surely met his share of world-class forwards over the past years, was absolutely delighted with the way Cristiano Ronaldo helped Real Madrid overcoming difficulties against Atletico and didn't even blink when he stated that Ronaldo is simply the best player in the World.

Sergio Ramos: "We're lucky to have the opportunity to train with him every single day and to have him with us at Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the World!", categorically said Ramos when assessing the Merengues #7 superstar's quality.

The idea of Cristiano Ronaldo being ranked as the best player in the game seems to be taking over the overall football scene once again, specially after Ronaldo sharpened his aim and scored 7 goals on his last 4 games. The Portuguese player reached his 7th hat-trick and is pretty much on the verge of breaking his goalscoring record in a single season (53 goals in 2010-2011), as he has already scored 52 times so far.

José Maria Callejón, a Real Madrid player and a product of the club's cantera, also made a note on how good CR7 actually is, by saying that there is no one better than Ronaldo in football these days.

Callejón: "Cristiano is the best player in the World and he can decide games like no one else", said the Spanish winger to Telemadrid, also having scored a goal in the Vicente Calderón derby, precisely assisted by Cristiano Ronaldo. This season, Callejón has already scored an impressive amount of 13 goals, having participated in a total of 31 games, sometimes as a starter, but more often as a substitute. With so many teammates backing up the idea that Ronaldo is second to none, everyone is surely hoping that he may play a decisive role in the Clasico against Barcelona, scheduled for next week, on Saturday (21-04-2012).

Atletico Madrid 1-4 Real Madrid. A Ronaldo show at the Calderon

Real Madrid will remain 4 points on top of Barcelona in La Liga, after beating Atletico Madrid in the Vicente Calderón, by 1-4. Cristiano Ronaldo reached the 52 goals mark this season (in all competitions) and his 40th goal in La Liga, after scoring a tremendously important hat-trick this Wednesday night.

Cristiano Ronaldo rescued Real Madrid at the Vicente Calderón this Wednesday night, with an outstanding hat-trick that allowed the Merengues to get past Atletico Madrid by 1-4. However, those who may have missed the game and simply look at the final score, can very well get the wrong idea that Real Madrid had an easy task in bringing the 3 points home. Aletico's coach, Diego Simeone, presented a strong and fighting side, which has only been beaten due to an impressive performance from Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese phenomenon added 3 goals and 1 assist to his count and leads once again La Liga Pichichi standings, with 40 goals out of 32 games! Barça's Lionel Messi was left behind in 2nd place, having scored 39 goals so far.



Last night's game being held at the Vicente Calderón, was seen by many as a critical one for Real Madrid, in their road for La Liga's title this season. With Barcelona putting additional pressure after winning this Tuesday's game against Getafe by 4-0, the gap was suddendly cut to a single point and all this happening just 10 days before the "Clasico" in the Camp Nou. The occasion was calling for heroes and men of character to step up and that's what we've all witnessed last night. Cristiano Ronaldo managed to excel expectations, by scoring an hat-trick (his first since the 12th of February, in a 4-2 win against Levante) and assisting Callejón for his team's final goal. Moreover, Ronaldo goals included a trademark tomahawk free-kick, a beautiful long-range shot and a penalty-kick, which are once again, a great example of how versatile the Portuguese player really is.

The first goal took place near the 25th minute and who else but Cristiano Ronaldo to score the opener. The free-kick was ruled close to 30 meters away from goal, certainly a distance that might discourage most free-kick specialists this game has already seen. As for Ronaldo and when he manages to hit the target, it's almost like half penalty. The Portuguese star applied one of his tradermark tomahawks and Courtois couldn't even dive to the ball, as he got completely fooled and deceived by the ball's trajectory. Real Madrid had taken the lead, but wasn't necessarily on top of Atletico during that stage of the game.

Half-time reached with a 1 goal advantage for Real Madrid and surely the feeling that things were about to get more complicated in the 2nd half, if they failed to extend the lead. That was precisely what happened, as Atletico Madrid got the equalizer around the 55th minute of the game, inevitably by Radamel Falcao and from a good header already inside Real Madrid's penalty area.

The Merengues reaction took some time as it has never been easy to breach into Atletico Madrid's back line. Despite all difficulties, Real Madrid retook the lead and it had to be the club's best player, Cristiano Ronaldo, to point the way once again. It all happened near the 68th minute, when Ronaldo received a ball on the left and cutted inside, just before striking a powerful dip shot. Similarly to the 1st goal, and even though Courtouis is 1,94m, he couldn't stop the ball from getting in. The crowd at the Vicente Calderón was starting to be aware of the one-man-show performance from CR7 this Wednesday night.

Atletico didn't exactly gave up after Real Madrid scored their second goal of the night and increased the pace in the following minutes by really forcing Real Madrid to struggle, in order to keep the lead. The reaction lasted a few minutes, until Sorín pushed Gonzalo Higuaín on his back, already inside Atletico's penalty area. Cristiano Ronaldo assumed the responsability and didn't shake at all, completing his hat-trick, as well as his 40th goal in La Liga this season and his 52nd when accounting for all competitions.

There would still be enough time for Real Madrid's 4th goal this Wednesday night, not from Ronaldo though, but from Callejón. The Portuguese player didn't score this time but assisted his teammate, for a 1-on-1 situation with Courtois, who couldn't stop a crossed right-foot strike from the Spanish winger. With this crucial victory, Real Madrid restored their 4 points from Barcelona, just 2 games and 10 days away from the visit to Camp Nou. With still 6 games left in La Liga we can all rest assured that we're going to watch both teams fighting until the end!

Is it fair to say that there is a "Cristiano Ronaldo dependency" in Real Madrid? The Portuguese player single-handedly destroyed Atletico Madrid this last Wednesday, as he unblocked a game that has been far from an easy task for the Merengues. The timing couldn't have been better, since a derby will always be a derby and with a Clasico against Bracelona just around the corner, Real Madrid simply couldn't afford to drop more points. The Merengues upcoming games include a home clash against Sporting Gijon this next Saturday (12/04/2012), a trip to Munich to face Bayern next Tuesday (17/04/2012) for the UEFA Champions League first leg, and finally the decisive visit to to Camp Nou, four days after, in the following Saturday (21/04/2012).

If there's a type of statement that most Real Madrid fans appreciate hearing from their club players, that's preceisly the one granted from Ronaldo after his hat-trick in the 1-4 away win at the Vicente Calderón. The Portuguese player's words might however seem a bit contrasting with a few gestures and celebrations he often shows on the pitch and that may have been leading a good amount of people to think that all Ronaldo cares about is his personal glory. Apparently, they couldn't be more wrong...

Cristiano Ronaldo: "I have to thank my teammates, because without them, I certainly wouldn't be able to score these goals. I'm not seeking personal records, but rather trophies for the club!", said the Real Madrid star player after his brilliant game against Atletico Madrid. Last season Ronaldo scored 53 in all competitions for Real Madrid and he's already one goal away from that mark, with still a minimum of 8 games left to be played (six in La Liga and at least two in the UEFA Champions League).

The Portuguese player also shared his view on how hard the game against Atletico Madrid actually was and gave voice to his delight for playing an important role on his team's victory. Cristiano Ronaldo: "It's true that we were all aware that this game was going to be very difficult. Atletico Madrid played really well and with a great intensity. I'm truly happy for having helped, by scoring and assisting for goal", confessed the man leading the Pichichi standings, with 40 goals in 32 games.



Ronaldo: "Not winning La Liga? It doesn't even cross my mind!"

Real Madrid is 6 points ahead of Barcelona and the simple thought of seeing the Blaugrana turning things around is something that Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't even consider at this stage. The Portuguese player hailed his teammates, as well as he pointed out that Real Madrid is currently on a great form and are going with everything they have in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo spoke a few words after the brilliant display against Osasuna last Saturday night and assured that he's delighted with the prospect of winning La Liga this season. As usual, Ronaldo stayed away of any negative thoughts, disclosing that the idea of losing the title to Barcelona at this stage, doesn't even cross his mind. The Portuguese forward leads the Pichichi standings with 37 goals (one ahead of Lionel Messi) and has a total of 10 assists at the end of the 30th fixture in the Spanish League.

With last night's performance, Cristiano Ronaldo made sure he ended March in style, as he added another 2 goals and 2 assists to his stats this season. An absolute rocket 35 meters away from goal, as well as his first goal from a free-kick strike in the Spanish League this year, weren't enough to satisfy Ronaldo thirst for excellence this weekend. The Portuguese ace also made two great assists from left-foot crosses, which somehow illustrated Real Madrid's superiority and good form against Osasuna, in the dawn of the decisive months in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo: "I'm convicted that we'll win La Liga this year and the thoughts of not doing it, don't even cross my mind! We're in a good position at the top of the league, keeping a safe distance for those who are chasing us. However, there are still many games left and we have to remain confident that we'll win at the end", said the Portuguese player to the journalists, just after Real Madrid ran over Osasuna by 1-5 in Pamplona.

Cristiano Ronaldo: "Just as I said before we faced Osasuna, this was simply another game we just had to win. There are now 8 games left and we know we have to keep winning them, because Barcelona isn't that far from us...", alerted the Real Madrid forward, probably aware that the Merengues will visit the Camp Nou in just 3 weeks and that it can very well turn out to be crucial reaching the Clasico with at least a 4 points cushion advantage.

The Portuguese player kept commenting the game held in the "Reyno in the Navarra" stadium, noting that Real Madrid has done their job superbly. Cristiano Ronaldo: "We knew the game was going to be difficult, specially because Osasuna is typically a very tough team when playing at home. However, we played very well right from the start and we managed to win the game, which was our main objective of course. This year, things have been different from last season and I'm truly happy because we won and everything went well for us. What has happened last year is past already. We're in great form this season...", pointed out the Portuguese

This Saturday's game against Osasuna was certainly prone in providing moments of pure brilliance, as both Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo scored terrific goals, that will likely be serious contenders in anyone's "Goal of the Season" gallery. José Mourinho labeled them as "out of this world", but Ronaldo preferred to shift attentions from himself and praised his teammates.

Cristiano Ronaldo: "I never set myself a limit and I'll just try to score as many goals as possible. I'm very happy because things are working out well and I have to thank my teammates for that. We're leading the league, we're confident and the players that are coming from the bench are having a positive impact, as it was the case of Granero against Osasuna and Nuri Sahin against APOEL. The squad is simply terrific and we have to keep going like this in La Liga and in the UEFA Champions League", remarked CR7.

On a curious note, the Portuguese player also commented the peculiar way of celebrating his rocket goal against Osasuna, as he decided to pull up his shorts, to show his right leg muscles. Ronaldo: "It was a joke we have with Adán, because he never goes to the gym to workout his legs. We were just kidding with him...", revealed CR7, by explaining that the meaning of his goal celebration was a friendly mocking of Real Madrid's 2nd goalkeeper, Adán.

Not only Real Madrid saw their lead over Barcelona being shortened to 8 points, but also Messi took the chance to get closer on Ronaldo, in the Pichichi standings. The Argentinian scored against Sevilla his 31th La Liga goal this season, while Cristiano Ronaldo ended his 7-game streak always scoring, by failing to hit the back of the net against Malaga but remains leading the rankings with 32 goals. However, this fact doesn't seem to worry the Portuguese player and as he said several times in the past, what matters the most is that Real Madrid keeps fighting for the titles.

Cristiano Ronaldo: "We still have an 8 points lead over Barcelona, which is indeed a big advantage and we just have to move on now. There's no reason to alarm, since there are still plenty of games left to be played and we are in good form. We also have to realize Malaga is a good side and really difficult to beat. We weren't expecting to drop 2 points at home, but this is football...", sighed Ronaldo when giving his first statements to the journalists.

Looking back at the game, Ronaldo believes that Real Madrid lacked a bit of luck in a few occasions, but assumed that a big part of the blame should rely on themselves, since they failed to take several good chances over the second half of this last Sunday's match.

Cristiano Ronaldo: "We didn't have much luck, specially by conceding that equalizing goal already in added time and after having dominated the game. However, we won't let that affect us and we'll be ready for the upcoming games. When we don't score goals, we suffer. That's what happened this Sunday night", remarked the Portuguese player, assuring his team will be able to put this game behind and move on to the next match with the usual winning attitude.

Regarding a few controversial decisions in Malaga's penalty area, one concerning an alleged foul over Marcelo and the other involving Ronaldo himself, the Portuguese player preferred not to criticize the referee, even though he noted that some decisions could have very well gone differently.

Cristiano Ronaldo: "The referee was a bit soft taking calls and seemed to be afraid of ruling those fouls. But I don't want to judge him, because he's also giving his best to make the right decisions. However, t's true that he didn't have a good night in this game", said CR7, just before leaving another note regarding his confidence about his team's success in the Spanish League.

Ronaldo: "There's still a long road to walk until the end of the league, as we have 11 games left to play, but I'm excited and convinced that we'll win La Liga", concluded the Real Madrid forward.