Cristiano Ronaldo has spoken at length about his future and this summer's speculation in an interview with Publico, a newspaper in his native Portugal. Here, with Publico's kind permission, is the full transcript:

Sir Alex Ferguson said this week it was "the end of the matter." Is this true?
"Yes. My coach was kind enough to come and see me in Lisbon a few days ago, which I think is common knowledge. It was a very honest conversation between two people that respect one other and that I'm sure share a mutual affection and friendship. What we said to each other will remain private. Sir Alex listened to me, I listened to him and we established that the best for both sides would be for me to continue at Old Trafford. So, I can confirm that I'll be playing for Manchester United next season. And before there are any rumours about me staying against my will, I want to make one thing clear: whoever says or writes anything to that effect is lying. I'll be playing at United with my heart and soul. I will fight and honour the shirt with the same desire and dedication as I always have."

How do you think the people at Real Madrid will feel about this?
"I want to say that I was the one that was responsible for all this controversy. It wasn't their fault because it was me that said publicly that I wanted to move to Real Madrid. It was also me, although wholly unintentionally, that caused the friction between the two clubs."

Your statements this summer demonstrated your desire to leave United and move to Madrid. What did you actually want?
"I knew that Real Madrid were interested in signing me and that they had, allegedly, made a very substantial offer to United. For a while, I wanted Manchester to accept the offer and for me to move to Madrid. If I denied it I would be deceiving