Ronaldo thrilled to be part of historic deal

"It's flattering when two of the top teams in the world want you to play for them.

"Now I can look forward to Real Madrid and a new stage in my career. I learned of the deal here in LA and heard from my people that United had accepted," Ronaldo said.

I had him first: Calderon
Meanwhile, Ramon Calderon, the former Real Madrid president, insists he brokered a deal to sign Ronaldo before leaving the club in January.

Calderon, who has since been replaced by Florentino Perez, told The Sun: "We were in touch with the player.

That is the important thing to know now.

"As far as I knew, he got the agreement with the club. He wanted to leave at the end of this season.

"That was what he agreed with the club and therefore it was easy, knowing that the player wanted to come to Real Madrid, to get a deal let's say. We agreed on everything and he decided to come," he was quoted as saying by AFP.

"Let's say it was a gentleman's agreement in order not to bother Manchester last season, because (United manager, Sir Alex) Ferguson also wanted to keep the player.

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