MADRID: The girlfriend of Real Madrid keeper Iker Casillas, Sara Carbonero, has hit out at star striker Cristiano Ronaldo for being "selfish".

"Ronaldo has always been like that, selfish and an individualist on the pitch and Real Madrid signed him like that," Carbonero, a sports journalist, told popular daytime chat show "Ana Rosa" on Telecinco, the private television station she works for.

"The only problem is that he was bought for 96 million euros so when he does things wrong, he can`t be forgiven."

The 25-year-old Portuguese international, the world`s most expensive player, had a successful start to his first season with Real in 2009 before it was curbed by an ankle injury from mid-October to late November.

Ronaldo still finished the club`s second most prolific goalscorer in the league last season, his impressive tally of 26 goals only one behind teammate Gonzalo Higuain`s 27.

This season Ronaldo has been slower to get off the mark, prompting reports that all might not be well with the world`s most expensive player.

Several wayward shots and complaints to referees have been jeered by home and away fans, prompting the player to appeal for more fan support and "less whistles" at a Real news conference last week.

It took a deflection from a freekick for the Portuguese pin-up to finally register his first goal of the campaign against Real Sociedad last weekend, Real`s third game of the season.

Some reports have suggested Ronaldo has personal problems, but Carbonero denied this: "Nothing is happening to him, he is not depressed, he has not consulted a psychologist as has been said in recent days."

Carabonero, 25, shot to international fame during the World Cup when her reports on the Spain squad for Telecinco on live television from behind the net sparked accusations that she was distracting Casillas.

The controversy abated with Spain`s first ever World Cup. Casillas, 29, kissed Carbonero on the mouth when she interviewed him for Telecinco just minutes after the victory in a broadcast watched by millions in Spain.

BDST: 1845HS, September 21, 2010