Ronaldo's mother wants him at Real

Cristiano Ronaldo's mother wants the World Footballer to leave Manchester United for Real Madrid, according to fellow-Portugal international Pepe.

"Cristiano Ronaldo's mother has a dream: seeing her son play for Real Madrid. And everybody knows that mothers carry great weight," Pepe told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) in an interview.

Pepe is a good friend of Ronaldo's and he plays for a club, Real Madrid, that has been after the winger for a long time. Last year, the operation to sign him failed over the staunch opposition of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.

Pepe, a great fan of Ronaldo, explained that his mother, Dolores, wants him to move to Spain soon.

"Both his mother and all his family as well as himself have made it clear that their dream is to play for Real Madrid. It is a dream that his mother has and a dream that he has too. Now we will see what happens," the centre-back said.

As to Ronaldo's chances of settling in in the Spanish capital, Pepe has few doubts.

"He would not have any problems. This is a very good changing-room atmosphere. They received me very well, and with Cristiano there would not be a problem either."

Pepe smiles each time he thinks of Ronaldo - who turned 24 last Thursday - as a teammate. He stresses, moreover, that the superstar portrays an image that does not match what he is really like.

"People have an idea of him as a person which is completely different from the real thing. I have known him since he played for Sporting Lisbon and he is a very simple person who, like any human being, likes to dress well and to have the best stuff. Since he is in a position to buy the best, he does so."

The Real Madrid defender thinks Ronaldo's personality is perfect for a major club, contrary to popular belief that he may be inclined to behave like a conceited prima donna.

"Ronaldo is an incredible person. He likes to jump and joke with everyone. He is the Portugal captain, but he is the first to be jumping around with everyone else," Pepe said.

One of the season's debates is the permanent comparison between Ronaldo and Barcelona striker Lionel Messi, as to who is the better player?

Pepe votes for Ronaldo.

"They are different footballers. For me, Cristiano has more points in his favour because he heads the ball well, he is stronger and he scores goals. Messi has quality, dribbles and scores goals. For a coach, I think Cristiano is better because he is more complete," he said.

The Brazilian-born Pepe, whose full name is Kepler Laveran Lima Ferreira, also spoke of Real Madrid's chances in an edition of Spain's La Liga that is clearly dominated by Barcelona.

He insists that the league is not lost, although the Catalan side has a 12-point lead over its arch-rival from the capital.

"Of course not. It is not impossible to win. It does not depend on us, but we have to keep fighting and put pressure on Barcelona," Pepe said.