Ramon Calderon, Former Real Madrid President, Believes Cristiano Ronaldo Will Finish His Career In England

Spending the past five years of his stellar career with La Liga giants Real Madrid, 28-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo continues to elevate his game while garnering recognition around the globe as one of the top players in professional soccer. With 223 goals in well over 500 appearances for Los Blancos, the Madeira, Portugal native has proven to be a nightmare for the opposition since he holds the unique ability to score at any moment in a match. In addition to registering loads of individual accolades, the Portuguese national star has also helped current clubs Real Madrid and the national team reach high levels of their own.

Thanks to a 46-goal La Liga campaign during the 2011-2012 season, Ronaldo and Real were able to capture the competitive Spanish league championship, catapulting ahead of Lionel Messi’s Barcelona squad by a whopping nine points. The club also took home the Supercopa de España in 2012, once again getting past Barcelona. While his club accomplishments are well documented, Cristiano Ronaldo also led the Portuguese national team to a fourth place finish at the 2006 World Cup and Bronze medal at the 2012 UEFA European Championship.

Though he’s said in the past that he is happy with his career at the Bernabeu, Ronaldo stated recently that he gave some thought to returning to Manchester United last summer, a club he spent six seasons with from 2003 to 2009. Ultimately signing a new contract with Real before the start of the current season, fans of Madrid were happy to see one of the most recognizable athletes in the world remain in Spain but as one former higher-up of Los Blancos notes, CR7 may not finish his career in Madrid.

According to ESPN FC, former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon -- the man instrumental in reeling acquiring Ronaldo from Man U -- said recently that he believes the star forward will finish his career in England due to the fact that he does not have the same relationship with current Real president Florentino Perez that he had with former United coach Alex Ferguson.

“I do not think he will finish his career at Real,” Calderon said. “I feel that one day he will return to England. In Madrid, he is pleased with the city and the fans. But I think his relationship with Florentino Perez is not as good as it was with Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. Ronaldo loves father figures. With Florentino, he does not have that rapport. The relationship is bad or actually non-existent. He stays at Real despite the chairman. I was afraid he was going to leave in the summer because he is our best player. I have the feeling that Cristiano has a clause in his contract allowing him to leave when he wants.”

In 18 La Liga contests this season, Ronaldo has registered 20 goals and 4 assists as he tries to push Real Madrid past Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in the tight-knit standings.