Cristiano Ronaldo has given the strongest indication yet of his wish to leave Manchester United this summer.

In a candid interview, the Portugal winger admits it would be "a dream and a step forward" to join Real Madrid, reiterating that he will make an announcement on his future in the coming days.

Ronaldo overshadowed Germany’s dramatic European Championship quarter-final victory over Portugal last night by confirming that he wants to join Real. And although United have once again this morning said that the player is not for sale, the player himself clearly has other ideas.

"It is a dream [to play for Real Madrid], a step forward, you can call it what you want," Ronaldo said. "For me it is a great opportunity, and as [Luiz Felipe Scolari, the Portugal coach] says, that train passes by only once, and we have to take advantage of it.

"That is why he took advantage of his change, that opportunity, and other people have to take advantage of opportunities, too."

Ronaldo yesterday called upon United to sell him to Real, who are expected to table a £60 million offer in the next few days. Any approach will be fiercely resisted at Old Trafford, where Sir Alex Ferguson is standing by his determination to let the player sit in the stands rather than sell him to a leading European rival. However, Ronaldo appears to have set his heart on reaching an agreement with the Spanish giants.

"Let's see in a couple of days," Ronaldo said. "The tournament is over [for Portugal] and I am going to reach an agreement. You will soon know what I want. You do know what I want and that is why I don’t want to say anything else. Lets wait. I want to give more details, that is why I cannot say much more.

"I am going to give my opinion in two days. I am going to say what I want, but things don’t depend only on me, that is why we have to wait."

When asked if he would speak to Ferguson directly, Ronaldo said: "I don’t know what I have to say to him. I have to say what I want and what I think. It is my opinion, that is why I don’t mind if people get upset. It is my decision. It is what I want."

Ronaldo added that he had not spoken to the United manager during the tournament, saying: "I was in a very important competition and we had nothing to say to each other."

The PFA Player of the Year also indicated that he took the decision to leave Old Trafford before the Champions League final victory over Chelsea, adding: "We were competing and I didn’t want to say anything because it is a very important decision.

"I didn’t want to say anything here because I wanted to be focused on Portugal. But now it is finished and I am going to say. It is a personal thing. It is something I want, something I dream of."

The former Sporting Lisbon player admitted he was aware that leaving Old Trafford may not be straightforward. "It is always difficult," he said. "It is not only one person deciding, it is many people, but it can be a very good thing for everybody.

When asked if his dream of playing for Madrid would come true, Ronaldo added: "I really hope so, lets see."