Cruz: R.Madrid wanted to sign me before Bayern

The Paraguay international is currently on loan at Real Betis from Manchester City and is set to face Los Blancos in La Liga this weekend. However, Sathe 30-year-old has claimed that he could easily have been lining out for Madrid at the Benito Villamarin had he not elected to leave former club Olimpia for Bayern back in 1999. "Yes, I could have gone [to Madrid]," the striker explained during an interview with ABCdeSevilla. "There was some interest, but that is one for the story book. "It was before going to Bayern Munich. They [Madrid] talked to Olympia but it did not happen." As it is, Santa Cruz is looking forward to testing himself against Jose Mourinho's star-studded Madrid line-up in Seville on Saturday night. However, he freely admits that he would rather Betis did not have to face Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 30 goals in 25 La Liga appearances so far this season. "His numbers speak for themselves," the forward admitted. "He has scored a lot of goals this season, he is great on the counterattack and works for the group - he is a very complete player. "I would remove him [from the Madrid line-up] if I was given the opportunity!" However, Santa Cruz confessed that if he had to choose one player in the world to play alongside, it would be Barcelona's Lionel Messi. "[The duo] go hand in hand; they are the two best players in the world by far," he enthused. "A stunning display from one player at the weekend, and the next weekend, the other. What they are both doing is amazing, but I would choose Messi [over Ronaldo]." Betis' clash with Madrid kicks off on Saturday night at 22.00CET.