Cristiano Ronaldo revealed on Monday night that he considered making a return to the Old Trafford when Manchester United launched a campaign to nab his services last summer.

Ronaldo, who won the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or on Monday, admitted that he received a tempting offer from Manchester United before eventually deciding to accept a fresh five-year contract from Real Madrid in September to extend his stay at the Bernabeu.

The 28-year-old Portugal international added that the Red Devils made a strong pitch, using Rio Ferdinand to convince him to bolt out of Real Madrid and make a dramatic return to his former team.

"It is true Rio and I spoke a lot in the summer," Ronaldo said as reported by ESPN. "Rio is a great friend of mine. We played together for many years at Manchester United. We were neighbors when I was there in Manchester. He is a fantastic guy and he tried to change my mind to go back to Manchester."

But while he confessed about being tempted to leave Bernabeu, Ronaldo expressed full commitment to Real Madrid, insisting that Manchester United has a special place in him, but he is happy with the Spanish powerhouse club.

"I did think about United. They are still in my heart. It is a club where I played for six years and I love that club. I have a lot of friends there and I wish them all the best," said Ronaldo, who left the Red Devils via a lucrative 80-million-pound transfer deal to Real Madrid in 2009.

With his future set in Real Madrid, Ronald vowed to focus more on the task at hand and hopefully earn another trophy -- but this time for Real and Portugal, who will be playing in this year's world cup.

"I hope to do better than last year this season," Ronaldo vowed. "I am going to try to do my best to win trophies with Madrid and my country. This season is a challenge for me."

Ronaldo was responsible for Portugal's World Cup qualification, scoring a hat trick during their 3-2 win over Sweden in November that give his country a 4-2 victory on aggregate.

The hat trick that sealed Portugal's spot in the biggest soccer event this year is believed to be one of the main reasons why Ronaldo edged Lionel Messi in the 2013 Ballon d'Or voting.

Ronaldo got 1,365 points, while Messi, who was looking to grab the prestigious award for the fifth-straight year, got just 1,205 points, and followed by Franck Ribery's 1,127 points.