HE is the King of Portugal and the Prince of Spain but Cristiano Ronaldo still carries a little bit of Manchester in his heart.
Last year's world record £80million move to Real Madrid has delivered the personal and professional satisfaction he always craved.Yet the golden smile is replaced by a worried frown as soon as our conversation turns to the friends he left behind at Old Trafford.
And no one concerns him more than his former United strike partner Wayne Rooney, a young man with the apparent weight of the world on his shoulders despite overtaking Ronaldo as the world's highest-paid footballer last week.
For, while it seems that Ronaldo simply can not stop scoring, Rooney does not know where his next goal is coming from.
It is now more than seven months since Rooney last scored a Premier League goal from open play.
And the Portuguese superstar takes no satisfaction from the struggles of his troubled pal.
When Rooney looked set to quit United last week after questioning the club's lack of ambition, Ronaldo made a point of keeping his counsel.
And now Rooney has decided to stay at United, Ronaldo believes it is only matter of time before he starts to justify his £250,000-a-week deal.
"Wayne has not started this season very well but he is still a fantastic player and I know that very soon he will be back to show that," Ronaldo insists.
"He has made his decision to stay with United and sign a new contract and we must all respect that. It's not my position to give him advice on that. But I know that things can change very quickly indeed."
Ronaldo, who has scored nine goals in his last four games for Real, is living proof of that.
"I didn't start this season very well, either," he points out. "But it is difficult to play at the highest level all the time. I just stayed calm, worked hard and did my job for the team and suddenly I scored a few goals and everything changed.
"Football is like that. Sometimes we play bad and then you score a goal and everyone thinks differently about you. That will happen for Wayne."
Ronaldo can afford to take such a relaxed stance.
On the pitch he has been the unstoppable force behind Real's unbeaten surge to the top of La Liga.
Privately, too, he has found satisfaction after becoming a father for the first time in July.
The swagger remains the same but much of the former arrogance appears to have disappeared since his move to Spain.
Even the launch of his own Nike boot has not gone to his head, as his low-profile appearance in Madrid yesterday confirmed.
Wearing a simple white polo shirt and designer jeans, he was clearly a man at peace with himself as he discussed all manner of football-related issues.
If only things were as smooth back in Manchester.
It is perhaps no coincidence that United's three-year domination of the Premier League ended the moment he left Old Trafford last year.
Their struggles have continued this season as they have failed to keep up with Chelsea's blistering pace.
Ronaldo has been monitoring their fortunes and believes if anyone can restore the club to its former glories then it is Sir Alex Ferguson.
"When I was in England United won many titles, trophies and cups," he points out. "Last year they didn't win anything special and this time they don't play so good, but this is just a moment.
"We have to give United time to find themselves again. Although their style is similar, they have bought some different players and they have not always been at 100 per cent.
"But I am sure that they will be good again very soon.
"For five years I enjoyed working with Sir Alex Ferguson. I always had a good relationship with him and now I think of him as my friend as well as a great manager."
Now it is former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho who is guiding Ronaldo's career at Madrid and the Portuguese duo are taking Spanish football by storm this season. Now wonder he laughs when asked if Mourinho is the most stylish Portuguese man in the world.
"Maybe him, maybe me!" he smiles.
"It is an honour and a pleasure to work for Mourinho because I know that with him in charge Madrid is going to win something very soon.
"Everyone in Portugal is very proud of Mourinho's career. He is one of the most successful Portuguese people in the world.
"He has bought a few new players, changed the discipline at the club and introduced a new style of playing on the pitch. He knows what he has to do to win things and his titles in Portugal, England and Italy speak for themselves.
"Everything he has introduced at Madrid has worked and that just proves he is a fantastic manager.
"For me Ferguson and Mourinho are the best managers in the world.
"One is young and one is older. But they have both won everything in football."
One of Mourinho's first tasks at the Bernabeu was to call time on the failed Galacticos experiment which had left Real floundering in the wake of bitter rivals Barcelona.
And Ronaldo, often accused of playing for himself ahead of the team during his United years, insists the new team ethic is paying off.
"I have a good relationship with all the players at Madrid," he says. "The dressing room is brilliant and we are all good friends.
"At this moment I feel very happy and in good form. Now I just want to keep it going."
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