London, July 14 : Former Brazilian football great Pele has said that Portuguese striker Ronaldo should and must honour his contract with Manchester United, and not think of shifting to the Spanish club, Real Madrid, no matter how high the price.

Real Madrid is reported to be ready to offer Ronaldo 75 million pounds, but Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson has quashed such rumours as seeing the light of day, with a warning to Ronaldo that his life will be made hell if he considers the offer. Criticising FIFA president Sepp Blatter for labelling Cristiano Ronaldo a ManU' slave', Pele said that this view is wide of the mark.

The Sun quoted the Brazilian legend as saying that: "You are a slave if you work without a contract or you don't get paid. If you have a contract then in any job you have to finish the contract. I think that when Ronaldo finishes his contract, then he should be free to go wherever he wants to."

England World Cup hero Gordon Banks also believes Ronaldo should remain loyal to United.

"Ronaldo should respect his manager and honour his contract. I don't understand what the problem is. He plays for a team that has just won the European Cup and the Premier League. He plays for his country. What more does he want?

"It's like anything in life. If a businessman signs a contract then he has to honour it. It' s no different than a professional footballer."

ANI