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Cristiano Ronaldo: I DID consider Man Utd return after Rio Ferdinand's phone calls
BALLON D'OR winner Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed Rio Ferdinand's phone calls begging him to rejoin Manchester United nearly paid off.
Ferdinand admitted he spent much of last summer pleading with Ronaldo to return to Old Trafford.
And Ronaldo - who beat Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery to football's highest individual prize - confirmed he had considered quitting Madrid for Manchester.
"It was true that Rio spoke to me a lot," he said.
"Rio is a great friend of mine, we played many years together at Manchester United and we were neighbours when I was there in Manchester.
"He's a fantastic guy and tried to change my mind. I did think about United. They are still in my heart. It's a club where I played for six years and I love that club. I have a lot of friends there and I wish them the best."
Ronaldo ended speculation about his future last September by agreeing a new contract with Real Madrid until 2018.