Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted he finds life difficult in Manchester, but insists he has no plans to leave Old Trafford.
Portugal international was in fantastic form this season, scoring 38 goals to help United reach the UEFA Champions League Final and preserve the course to retain their prime-league crown.
This has led to inevitable speculation on his future with Real Madrid fans a long-time prodigiously talented wing.
But Madeira-born Ronaldo Manchester grew accustomed to the climate and plans to continue to develop in the North West.
Great club
He said: “It is hard to live in Manchester. But this is a big club, I am very happy here.
“I want to play here much longer and get even better.
“Weather can not be great, but I am used to it, is a big club and that’s what is most important.”
And Ronaldo is now set his sights on a dream for the United twice this season, Chelsea in their opponents in Moscow on May 21, and their only remaining rivals in the Premier League title race.
Sir Alex Ferguson in the side secured their place in the final with a 1-0 aggregate victory over Barcelona, while Liverpool saw the Blues to leave on Wednesday evening.
Possibilities
“We are in this competition to win it, as far as league,” said Ronaldo. “We took our chances and now we’re in the final of the Champions League.
“Nothing could be better.
“We might have been able to play better, but we won, we always win, and we must now do the same in the final and the championship.
“Manchester has always played to win, the players want to win something this season and we have a great opportunity to win the Prime League and Champions League.
“Now we need to relax a bit and do some good work and try to win.”
Ronaldo is hotly tipped to claim FIFA World Player of the Year awards after the end of the third last time out, but believes that his team-comrades deserve much of the credit for his success.
Good men
He added: “As I become the best player in the world? Let’s just take the season in season!
“Just because I have always been good, always worked a lot and tried to improve every day.
“Here I am good people, good players behind me who helped me score a lot of goals. I learned English. And also I was lucky.
“It is normal that when you get a lot of goals, you get a lot of headlines, but all the players taking part in this, and we all want to do what is best for the club, and we will do our best to make sure that happens.
“As far as I’m working for, as well (Wayne) Rooney, as well (Carlos) Tevez, just Anderson.
Avram Grant to pay emotional tribute to Frank Lampard, after he led Chelsea to the Champions League Final six days after his mother’s death.
Lampard penalty in injury time helped the Stamford Bridge club on 4-3 aggregate victory over Liverpool and Chelsea boss said: “Frank is a courageous man.
“Frank was very close to his mother and what happened to him over the past few days was not easy.
“He played very well and a little happy now.”
On his return from compassionate leave, Midfielder calmly converted his spot kick before wheeling away from the emotional celebration.
After the kiss dressing worn on the sleeve to wear black in memory of his mother, Pat, he pointed to his father, Frank senior, in a crowd in the sentimental moment.
We have created history, and I am proud we did it my way
Chelsea boss Avram Grant
Lampard went with the resin at the stormy applause when he was replaced by Andrei Shevchenko, shortly before the final whistle.
And Grant added: “This was his decision to play, and he played very well. We talked about this yesterday, and it was decided he should play then.”
Grant had his own reasons to celebrate a historic victory for Chelsea.
At the final whistle Blues manager knelt on the step and offered prayers in memory of his family members killed in the Holocaust.
Israel should visit the concentration camp at Auschwitz on Thursday to celebrate the Day of Holocaust Remembrance.
“He was not just a day for me,” he said. “This is a Holocaust Day in our country, and I thought of my father, my grandfather who is buried with his own hands, and I am very proud that we did.
“It was very emotional. I owe my parents a lot. My father survived the Holocaust and had to bury many of his family, but he is the strongest and most optimistic person I ever met.”
Grant controversially replaced by Jose Mourinho in September 2007, less than three months after the entry into Chelsea as Director of Football.
Mourinho won successive league titles in 2005 and 2006, and reached in two Champions League semi-finals, but now Chelsea Grant led to the first-ever final in Europe’s elite club competition.
Avram Grant
Grant celebrates at the final whistle
Liverpool beat Chelsea in the semi-final stage in 2005 and 2007 and Grant said he was proud to have achieved something predecessor was unable to govern.
“There is only one” special “,” he joked.
“But this was special against Liverpool. They have a fantastic team and Rafa played tactically. Errors need to be smart against him, but we did so.
“We created history, and I am proud we did it my way. But I do not want to say ‘I’ because (owner) Roman (Abramovich), he created this club, my staff are excellent, my assistants, all.”
“To create history at this club in my first year as manager, with all the difficulties we have been … we stuck together and did everything as I like to do things – in a positive direction with a lot of thinking and it means a lot for me. “
Having obtained the losing semi-finalists in three of the last four years, captain John Terry believes his side deserved their place in Moscow on 21 May.
“This is fantastic. I think we fully deserved it for many years,” he said, before paying tribute to Lampard.
“What it character. It was terrible week for him and his family.
“Frank played very well and in my opinion, was one of our key players today. This is not just a thing he is under. He did everything to the team.”
606: debate
This was perhaps the most fantastic, tense, unpredictable game I have ever seen us play
esssienisanengine
After Fernando Torres was lifted from Didier Drogba in the opener, Sami Hyypia brought down Michael Ballack and Lampard stepped up to make 3-2 on aggregate score in extra time.
Drogba scored his second of the game do so at 3-1 and 4-2 at night in general, before Ryan Babel in great efforts to end nervous.
“This is something surprising”, said, Drogba. “Today we did very well. I am very happy for the club because we have long sought this final too long.”
Boss Rafa Benitez Liverpool has been stoked activities disputes before the match, accusing Drogba of diving and claiming he dossiers larvae in the past antics.
Drogba, who led the line superbly Chelsea on Wednesday, at the time of celebrating his first goal right before the Liverpool bench.
“Benitez is a fantastic coach and I was a little disappointed, but I think he felt his team was not strong enough and Chelsea were going to beat them,” he said.
“I’m just happy for my team and I do not want to think about the other. This is not good for my image. I am giving my best to put his team on top and I think this is not true, but it is finished.”
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