Cristiano Ronaldo relishing Sporting CP return

REAL Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is eagerly anticipating the upcoming Champions League clash against his former team Sporting CP.

The prolific attacker rose to prominence at the Lisbon side before earning a move to Manchester United in 2003 and will return to familiar hunting ground when Madrid face Sporting on November 22.

The 31-year-old netted once when his side recorded a 2-1 win over Sporting at the Santiago Bernabeu and he is looking forward to another reunion with old friends.

"It is always special to be back," he told Sky Sports.

"I remember going back to Old Trafford two or three years ago and now to go back to Sporting, which was the team that created me from 11 to 18 years old.

"It is always a pleasure to be back and see my old stadium and my old friends. It will be amazing, but of course I have to defend my colours and I want to win the game. We need to win, too."

It was at Sporting's Jose Alvalade stadium that Ronaldo impressed United boss Alex Ferguson with a fine performance in a 3-1 friendly win and he has nothing but fond memories of that encounter.

"I had always been dreaming of playing for a big club, which Manchester United were at the time," he added.

"But things went really fast after that game against them. I moved to Manchester a few months later, it was great.

"I remember playing against them in Lisbon and I put in a good performance. Alex Ferguson acted quickly and I then moved to Manchester United.

"I knew I had played a good game, but I did not expect to have made such an impact on some of the players. It was a pleasure for me. I was really happy that people liked my performance."