UEFA Champions League: Ronaldo vs Manchester United

Manchester, Dec 21: It is the tie of the round said Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United play Real Madrid on Mar 5 at Old Trafford.

UEFA Champions League 2012-13 Round of 16 Draw

And there is Cristiano Ronaldo who will return to his former club after his £80 million record breaking transfer to Madrid in 2009.

The La Liga champions have the upper hand in this fixture when Ronaldo, the Brazilian striker, scored a hat-trick at Old Trafford back in 2003, helping Madrid go through 6-5 on aggregate. The two heavyweights first met in the European Cup semi-final in 1957, with Real winning 5-3.

Ferguson feels there is no difference in how he or Mourinho operate a team. The Real Madrid boss calls himself the 'Special One' and Ferguson 'the Boss'.

However, The Red Devils boss was sad to see Ronaldo leave when he was not at his peak. The Portuguese star has scored 169 goals in 169 games in all competition since making his move to the Spanish giants.

Ronaldo won three Premier League titles with United, an FA Cup and Champions League in 2008, but decided to leave the Theatre of Dreams following defeat to Barcelona in the 2009 Champions League final which was also his last match for the Red Devils.

Real are currently third in La Liga, way behind arch rivals Barcelona, and Mourinho has already lost hopes of retaining the title. While their dismal form in the league continues, Mourinho and Ronaldo have set their sights on winning the the UEFA Champions League.

Despite Ronaldo's unrest at the club and Mourinho's bad relationship with chiefs, both will be itching to get the better of Manchester United.

The two giants with rich history in the competition will first play at the Santiago Bernabeu on Feb 13 and then play the second leg on Mar 5.

Ferguson was excited about the clash, "It's a great opportunity for our fans to see Cristiano again and also for me to meet up with Jose again - I'll need to order some good wine."

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