Butragueno: Manchester United tie will be very special for Ronaldo

The Portuguese star will face his former club for the first time since leaving for the Sanitago Bernabeu in 2009, with the first tie in Spain taking place on February 13

Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno says the Champions League round of 16 tie against Manchester United, will be "very special" for former Old Trafford star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Thursday's draw in Nyon paired the Spanish champions with the English league leaders, and Butragueno believes that going back to Old Trafford in March will be a great occasion for the attacker.

"I am sure it is going to be special game for him," Butragueno told Sky Sports. "He's a great professional so I am sure he is going to do his best to help Real Madrid to qualify. But yes, going back there is going to be very special for him."

THE DRAW IN FULL

Galatasaray v FC Schalke Celtic v Juventus Arsenal v Bayern Munich Shakhtar v Borussia Dortmund AC Milan v Barcelona Real Madrid v Manchester United Valencia v Paris Saint-Germain FC Porto v Malaga First legs will be played on either February 12/13 or19/20, with the return legs on March 5/6 or 12/13.

The 49-year-old also had his say on the relationship between Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson, and made it clear the Portuguese will do his utmost to beat his colleague and guide Madrid to success. 

He added: "I know that they have a very good relationship. Jose is a fantastic manager, he is under contract with Madrid and we are very happy with him.

"I hope that he is going to lead the team and make our fans feel proud of our team, that's the main objective.

"I am thinking the fans will be very happy with this tie because it's very very attractive, a thrilling experience for everybody. Manchester United are not just a great team, but a great organisation and one of the most prestigious clubs in the world.

"We know that it is going to be difficult, it is going to be a very even tie. They have a very strong team and great leadership. Alex Ferguson has been there for 25 years, he is a fantastic manager, he knows how to make the most out of his players, so we know that it is going to be very very difficult.

"They have top players but we are Real Madrid and we will try to do our best and I think that we will rise to the occasion and of course I am confident in our chances of qualifying."