Beckham advises Ronaldo on United return

David Beckham has advised Cristiano Ronaldo to re-sign for Manchester United if he decides to leave Real Madrid, with the former England captain saying he would have “crawled back” to Old Trafford given the chance.

Ronaldo, 30, has recently suggested he could leave Madrid at the end of the current season, with the forward “definitely thinking” about MLS and also speaking of his “amazing memories” of life at United before making an £80 million switch to the Bernabeu in 2009.

Former United and Madrid midfielder Beckham says that the Portugal captain — also linked with Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain — should move back to the Red Devils if he can, suggesting Old Trafford is the obvious choice if he ends his time in the Spanish capital.

“I’d never advise anyone not to come back to United,” Beckham said. “I’d have crawled back if I could. But then obviously given the chance once I’d left United, to have played for one of the biggest clubs in the world — with Real Madrid, again it was a dream. But I’d never advise any player to not return to Manchester United.

“Cristiano is such a fans’ favourite at United, he was so successful, such a hard worker. Everyone you talk to, that has played with him, been around his world — he’s not just one of the most talented players in the game, he’s a hard worker as well.

“If he decides to leave Real Madrid then for me personally it’s back to United. I never had the opportunity to do so — but I’m proud of the teams I played for after United.”

Beckham will make a return to play at Old Trafford on Saturday, captaining a Great Britain and Ireland team versus a Rest of the World XI.

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