Ronaldo escapes charge over Ferrari crash

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo will not face any charges after writing off his Ferrari sports car in a crash, police said today.

The Portuguese winger, who is set to move to Real Madrid after United accepted a record £80m bid last week, demolished the front of his high-performance vehicle when it hit a roadside barrier under a tunnel near Manchester Airport in January.

The FIFA World Player of the Year managed to escape uninjured and spoke to officers at the scene before making his way to Manchester United's training ground near Sale.

After investigating the incident and interviewing Ronaldo last month, police have decided not to take action against the 24-year-old, who also provided a written statement following the crash.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said today: "No further action will be taken against the driver of a Ferrari 599 GTB, which collided with a wall on the A538 Wilmslow Road on Thursday, 8 January.

"No-one was injured and no other vehicles were involved in the incident."

It is understood Ronaldo had only had the top-of-the-range sports car for a couple of days before the accident.

Skid marks were clearly visible at the scene of the crash and one of the red Ferrari's wheels came off.

Ronaldo's team-mate, goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, was understood to have been travelling behind him at the time of the incident and later provided a statement to police.