The Red Devils sold the Portuguese superstar during the summer of 2009 for a reported fee of £80 million, but Ferguson - who stepped down as manager after 27 years in the role during the summer - has revealed that he wanted more and evidently believes Real would have paid it. "I told David Gill to ask for £150m. Perez would have paid," he was quoted by Spanish newspaper AS in an interview that was cited by The Daily Express. "The only thing that hurt me, and I said this repeatedly to David Gill, was that we didn't demand enough. "I told David, 'Ask for £150m'.

 He said, 'Don't be silly. They'll never pay £150m'." Ronaldo joined Manchester United from Primeira Liga outfit Sporting Lisbon as a talented but raw 18-year-old and spent six years terrorising Premier League defences at Old Trafford before departing for the grandeur of the Spanish capital. The jaw-dropping form that helped Manchester United to win three Premier League titles and the Champions League during his spell in English football has only improved at Real Madrid, with Ronaldo notching an incredible 156 goals in 141 appearances for the La Liga giants in his time at the Santiago Bernabeu to date. "I said, 'Ask for it because he's worth it'," Ferguson continued. "We signed the deal. I think it cost £80m or so but I'll always wonder what Mr Perez would have said if we'd asked for £150m. Considering the fact that they signed Gareth Bale for £85m, I think he would have agreed to pay between £80m and £150m. "I'm sure he would have because Perez knew perfectly the quality of player he was receiving, as shown by his time at United." Manchester United, now under the management of another straight-talking Scot in the form of former Everton favourite David Moyes, have struggled somewhat to cope with Ferguson's departure and currently sit seventh in the Premier League with 45 points from 27 games. Ronaldo, meanwhile, is leading Real Madrid's charge for a second Spanish crown during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu and notched an equaliser as they drew 2-2 with local title rivals Atletico at the Vicente Calderon yesterday