I’m glad to see Scolari on top, says Ronaldo

CRISTIANO RONALDO has admitted that he is pleased to see Chelsea top of the Premier League because it reflects well on his former international coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari.

The Manchester United striker was speaking at the opening of his fashion boutique CR7 in Lisbon when he admitted: “Things are going well for Scolari and from a personal perspective, I’d say that’s good because I’m a fan of his and a friend. But I obviously don’t want him to stay top of the league for long, because I want Manchester United to win the league.”

The pair have been close ever since Scolari was the man who had to tell Ronaldo that his father had died before a World Cup qualifier against Russia in September 2005.

“I watched that young kid grow up over the last five years,” said Scolari of Ronaldo’s development since taking charge in 2003.

Ronaldo also spoke about his return from injury, the appointment of Carlos Queiroz, the former assistant coach at United, as his new international boss, and his preference for playing on the wing as opposed to in the middle, which is where he is likely to start Portugal’s crucial World Cup qualifier against Sweden at the weekend. “Playing as a central striker is not my favourite position, but if I have to play in that position, I will do it with pride,” said Ronaldo. “For me, it is a privilege to be in the national team and to play is an even bigger privilege. It’s not easy to score more goals than I have been scoring but as I’m an ambitious player, I always want the best for me and for my team. I will try to do my best, regardless of where I am playing.”

Ronaldo gave Queiroz his vote of confidence in what could be a tricky week for the new boss, but his star player is convinced that Portugal will qualify from Group A and make it to South Africa, where Queiroz also enjoyed a spell as national coach. “Carlos is someone who I have worked with for many years and I know him very well,” added Ronaldo. “I’m a big fan of his, I like the way he works. He didn’t start well, because of our World Cup qualifying defeat to Denmark, but I believe he will do a great job with these players.”

While Ronaldo returns, Atletico Madrid’s Simao Sabrosa has been left out due to injury, though Chelsea’s Deco has been included despite being sidelined for his club with a muscle tear.

His Chelsea team-mate Ricardo Carvalho also misses out and is replaced by Sporting Lisbon’s Tonel.

Portugal Squad: Fernandes (Bochum), Eduardo (Sporting Braga), Quim (Benfica); Bosingwa (Chelsea), Ferreira (Chelsea), Alves (Porto), Meira (Galatasaray), Pepe (Real Madrid), Tonel (Sporting Lisbon), Antunes (Lecce), Miguel (Valencia); Maniche (Atletico Madrid), Deco (Chelsea), Raul Meireles (FC Porto), Martins (Benfica), Joao Moutinho (Sporting Lisbon), Fernandes (Valencia); Danny (Dynamo Moscow), Ronaldo (Man Utd), Nani (Man Utd), Quaresma (Inter), Nuno Gomes (Benfica), Yannick (Sporting Lisbon), Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen).