Ronaldinho talks up United move

World Cup winner Ronaldinho would consider it a "tremendous honour" to be the first Brazilian in history to play for Manchester…

World Cup winner Ronaldinho would consider it a "tremendous honour" to be the first Brazilian in history to play for Manchester United.

The man who ended England's dream in the 2002 World Cup finals with a free-kick that looped over goalkeeper David Seaman and earned Brazil a 2-1 victory at the quarter-final stage, believes joining Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford is a "concrete possibility".

His current club, Paris St Germain, may be willing to part with him for around stg£12million, and Ferguson could consider him the ideal partner for prolific Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy.

"Right now it's just speculation, right?" Ronaldinho told the Sunday Herald. "But I would be lying if I said that English football isn't one of my ambitions.

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"And the way things are looking right now, playing in the Premiership, at Manchester United in particular, is more than just a dream. It's a concrete possibility.

"But there is nothing more I can say. First of all, because nothing has been agreed and, second, because I am a PSG player and I have three years left on my contract.

"If PSG and United reach an agreement and everyone is happy with it, I'll be very proud to come. At the same time, I'm proud to play for PSG, our season is not over and I want to respect the club, my team-mates and the fans.

"What more can I say about Manchester United? Everyone knows how powerful and respected they are in every corner of the globe. It would be a tremendous honour to be the first Brazilian in history to play for them."

The expectation levels at Old Trafford would not faze Ronaldinho, who would relish the chance to play for Ferguson.

He added: "I imagine it to be a lot like playing for Brazil: you are expected to dominate every game, everybody wants to beat you and you have to prove yourself every day.

"When I think what it would be like to work with and learn from a master like Ferguson, I get goose bumps.

"We'll see what the future brings. I want to win trophies and grow as a footballer and obviously playing in England would be a major stepping stone."

Ronaldinho is convinced he has the physical strength to succeed in the English top-flight, and wants to join the select band of Brazilians to have made an impact at that level in England.

"Some still say I'm still not strong enough to play in the Premiership. They're wrong. I can hold my own physically against anybody and it's all thanks to hard work.

"And I guess I'm attracted to it because few Brazilians have made their mark on English football. I talk to Gilberto Silva and Juninho often, they tell me about their life in the Premiership. And I think how wonderful it would be to be the first Brazilian to really become an important Premiership player."