Cristiano Ronaldo: I will see out my contract at Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo has played down speculation surrounding his future at Real Madrid by insisting he intends to see out his contract with the La Liga champions.

Ronaldo, whose current deal at the Bernabeu is set to expire in 2015, has been relentlessly linked with a move away from Spain after declaring himself “sad” in Madrid for professional reasons back in September.

Paris Saint-Germain have emerged as the Portugal international’s most likely destination should the 27-year-old choose to quit La Liga.

But the world’s most expensive player, who joined Real Madrid in 2009 in a world record £80m deal from Manchester United, says he wants to see out his contract – although he admits that he does not know where his future lies after that.

“I want to see out my contract at Real Madrid,” Ronaldo told FIFA.com. “I’m very clear about that. After that, well, I don’t know what’ll happen in the future.”

Meanwhile, Ronaldo played down his disappointment at missing out on the 2012 Ballon d’Or after he finished behind Lionel Messi, who collected a record fourth award in Zurich last week.

“It’s not a question of life and death – it’s not the end of the world,” Ronaldo said after finishing behind Messi, who triumphed with 41.6 per cent of the vote.

“But I still haven’t understood the criteria. One year it’s about performance, the next it’s about silverware.”

Ronaldo has scored 175 goals in 172 appearances for Real Madrid in all competitions.