Ronaldo escapes injury in horror smash

AFP - 8 January 2009 13:25

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo, seen here in December 2008, was involved in a car crash near Manchester airport Thursday, but was not injured, police said.

LONDON (AFP) - Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo walked away unscathed Thursday despite writing off his Ferrari in a spectacular car crash near Manchester airport.

His luxury sports car's front end was smashed to pieces and it lost a wheel as he collided with a roadside barrier while driving to training, the morning after a disappointing defeat for his team.

Ronaldo's team-mate Edwin van der Sar, United's goalkeeper, was following in his Bentley at the time of the crash but was not involved in the collision, said police.

Skid marks were clearly visible leading up to the crash scene, and a photographer who arrived shortly afterwards described the 23-year-old Portugal winger's bright-red car as a "terrible mess."

But Greater Manchester Police said no one had been injured. "Officers attended and discovered a Ferrari had collided with a barrier," a statement said. "No one is believed to have been injured."

Witness Jody Lomax was driving behind Ronaldo when the collision occurred.

"The Ferrari went straight into the wall, his front left-hand wheel came off and then Ronaldo got out of the car," he said, according to the BBC.

"I was shocked. Anyway he was all right, he was walking -- he was a bit shaken... Obviously I was stunned at seeing a Ferrari go in the wall and seeing Ronaldo."

A spokeswoman for United said Ronaldo, the 2008 winner of the prestigious Ballon d'Or award, had not required treatment for shock or any other injuries and would be fit to play in Sunday's Premier League showdown with Chelsea.

"Cristiano is fine," the spokeswoman said. "It was on his way to training. He did not receive any treatment. He has trained this morning with the team and is OK."

Police officer Nigel Snell said that, given the damage to the car, it was "fortunate" that Ronaldo was not injured.

"We are trying to establish exactly what happened and I would appeal to anyone that may have witnessed the collision to contact police," he said, cited by the BBC.

Ronaldo played as a second-half substitute in United's 1-0 defeat away to Derby County in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

Barring any delayed reaction to the crash, he will be back in the starting line-up for Sunday's match at Old Trafford as United seek to overcome one of their major rivals in the battle to retain the Premier League trophy.