Ronaldo: I'm a Good Role Model

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo insists he's a good role-model for children.

Speaking exclusively to Hello! Magazine he said: "Many people have images of footballers as people who like to go out all the time, spend their money lavishly and to date many women. It's hard to escape this idea but dealing with the pressures of being a famous footballer and the publicity it attracts can be very difficult."

He added: "Footballer's lifestyles are always under scrutiny but the image and publicity about wealth, glitz and good times often fail to tell the true story! Sometimes it is a very lonely world and we don't feel safe in any place. Yet our status, our salaries mean we rarely win the public's sympathy. But I do believe I am a good role model."

The 22-year old, who recently split from former Hollyoaks actress and model Gemma Atkinson and has been linked to Bollywood star Bipasha Basu, is fiercely private about his personal life.

He explained: "I come under intense media scrutiny so I am very private about the girls I date. I am a gentleman, and I do not want them to experience the media pressure, which I have learned to ignore. For me, a girl does not need to be famous for me to like her. I do have my romantic moments but I am sensible. It is company that is important for me."

"I would like to marry, maybe in my thirties, but I have not met the right girl yet. For me, it is what is inside a beautiful woman that is important, although she must also be beautiful, like Angelina Jolie."