Ronnie close to winning bet

13/01/2007 18:20, Report by Adam Bostock




Cristiano Ronaldo is looking for an early pay-out from Sir Alex Ferguson after scoring his thirteenth goal of the season.

The winger's tally for 2006/07 was the subject of a friendly bet with the boss, who challenged him to bag 15 by the end of the campaign. Now he's very close to that and on current form, few would bet against him reaching the total by the end of this month.

"To beat the manager is my ambition and I want to carry on, I want to score more goals," said Ronaldo, following the 3-1 win over Aston Villa.

"But it's not only me (scoring goals), my friends are also having opportunities to score. Michael Carrick scored a fantastic goal today, Ji as well, and this is good for the team."

Saturday's game was certainly a good one for the title-chasing team, and especially for Ronaldo who collected his second Barclays Player of the Month award before kick-off.

"I felt very honoured by the award. It's given me the motivation to achieve more," he said.

Next the in-form number seven will take his shooting boots to a new ground, the Emirates Stadium, home of United's great rivals Arsenal.

"We're playing away against a big team," he acknowledges, "but we should only think about ourselves. We're in great form and we have a chance (to beat Arsenal).

"It's a tough game but it's possible (to win)."

credit: manutd.com