C.Ronaldo: I've learned my lesson

Cristiano Ronaldo admits he has been guilty of going to the floor too easily in the past but is adamant he has now learned his lesson.

Ronaldo admits the mentality in England is different to the one he was used to on the continent with Sporting Lisbon. The Portuguese wide man claims the leniency of English referees concerning robust challenges - a point also stressed by team-mate Wayne Rooney - has encouraged simulation.

But, despite claiming to have been on the receiving end of some rough treatment in the Premiership, Ronaldo is determined not to let it affect his game. "I remember in the first year at United, I was criticised a lot for going to the floor too easily. That was an area of my game where I had to change quite fast," Ronaldo told the Daily Express.

"It was perhaps the biggest lesson I've learned in England. It's a different type of game in Portugal, but the rules should be the same everywhere. If it's a free-kick, the referee should give a free-kick. But here, referees choose to ignore fouls a lot of the time. The football is different here, with a different mentality and it's not just the players who have grown up with it, but the referees too. But I'm not going to stop trying to beat defenders in England. I don't think I should change. I have to be myself. Just because the referee doesn't give a free-kick or chooses not to send off someone who deserves it, doesn't mean I should become another player."

Read more...