Browned off: Sun worshipper Ronaldo turns a distinct shade of mahogany



For several weeks he's been unable to play the sport that made his name, so you could forgive Cristiano Ronaldo for being browned off.

But as he spends more and more time in the Los Angeles sun, the footballer seems to be turning very brown indeed.

The 23-year-old Manchester United player has spent so much time on sun loungers and by the pool that he could almost be mistaken for the Cuprinol man from the television adverts for the wood preservative.

Burnt brown: Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has gone from Tango to conker, after spending his days roasting in the LA sunshine



How now brown Cristiano: Ronaldo lies in the sun on a bed of towels, covered in sun oil in a pair of shorts, and a boot protecting his crocked ankle



Remind you of someone? If Ronaldo can't decide which football club he wants to play for, he could always consider going into advertising as the Cuprinol man's replacement

The £100,000-a-week star, who is recuperating from ankle surgery to cure a long-term injury, passed the healthy looking bronze stage some time ago, but is still soaking up the rays on a daily basis.

It's safe to assume his more macho teammates will leave him in no doubt as to what they think when he finally walks back into the dressing room.





And despite his earnings, the Portuguese player is certainly an example of how money can't buy you style.

This week he stepped out in a pair of tiny metallic hotpants - a look favoured by George Michael in his 1980s heyday with Wham! - a pink T-shirt, a pair of bright white trainers and Top Gunstyle mirrored sunglasses.

He raised eyebrows again last week when he arrived at a Los Angeles awards ceremony wearing a white suit and T-shirt, highlighting his unashamedly orange glow.

However, it does not seem to have affected his success in attracting women.

Ronaldo, who split from his model girlfriend Nereida Gallardo before going to LA, has been seen flirting with a series of bikini-clad ladies by the pool of his hotel.

His teammates, meanwhile, have been busily preparing for the start of the Premier League season with matches in South Africa.

From bronzed to conker: The varying shades of Cristiano Ronaldo during the playing season, centre, in Sardinia last month, and yesterday in Los Angeles

The player, worth an estimated £70million, had apparently been hoping to secure a move to Spanish side Real Madrid.

But Manchester United have so far refused to allow their most valuable player to leave.

The player had angered fans by accusing his club of treating him 'like a slave', despite his enormous salary.

Phone a friend: Ronaldo checks his text messages. The star has proved a hit with the ladies in Los Angeles where he is enjoying a pre-season break

