Cristiano Ronaldo wants to become a United legend

Cristiano Ronaldo has given Manchester United fans and Sir Alex Ferguson a massive boost by admitting he wants to become an Old Trafford legend.

Since clinching a Premier League and Champions League Double this month the 23-year-old winger has plunged his future into uncertainty by appearing to indulge the advances of Real Madrid.

The overtures this week grew in such intensity United bosses took the unprecedented step of threatening to report the Spanish giants to world governing body FIFA.

Mirror Sport revealed this week that Sir Alex is set to fly to the Portugal training camp ahead of Euro 2008 for talks with the player.

But, speaking to Maxim magazine ahead of the tournament, Ronaldo revealed he wants to be revered by United fans like George Best and David Beckham.

He said: "Beckham is one of the club's greatest-ever players and it was a huge honour to be handed the (number seven) shirt. I just hope to carry on doing it justice for the manager and the fans. To be talked about like Becks and George Best would be amazing. But then why not if I carry on what I am doing?"

And while Real Madrid have done their level best to lure him to Spain, Ronaldo revealed his only plans for the Mediterranean involve his own hotel.

He said: "One of my ambitions is to build a hotel and resort in Madeira, where people could spend beautiful, and peaceful moments.

"The kind of time that I enjoy. It would be called CR7. After all this is the number of my life."

Ronaldo's penalty against Wigan in United's last game of the season took his tally to 41 goals, 31 of those in the Premier League.

The wideman then scored United's only goal in normal time in the Champions League Final to make it 42, falling short of Ruud Van Nistelrooy's tally of 44 goals in a season - in 2003 - by two goals.

But the Portuguese star believes he can improve even further under the tutelage of Ferguson.

He added: "You can never just relax and think that you have reached your best.

"You have to keep training hard, improving, learning new things. I am lucky to have great team-mates around me and a manager I can learn from - he is the best coach in the world."

While team-mate Wayne Rooney has come under fire from England boss Fabio Capello because of his short fuse, Ronaldo believes the World Cup controversy two years ago, in which he got Rooney sent off, has improved him as a winger.

He went on: "It was not very pleasant, but it did me some good. With this I grew wiser and it helped me to mature.

"Rooney is a good friend by whose side it is a pleasure and an honour to play.

"And I feel privileged British people have taken me to their hearts. The best thing about Britain is people are fair."