Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is hoping that the emotion of facing his former team may prove to be too much for Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to handle on Wednesday. 

Ronaldo will take the opposite side of the field against United for the very first time since opting to leave the team for the record-breaking contract he received from Real Madrid in 2009. 

Ronaldo was a member of United for six years, obtaining three Premier League titles, one Champions League, one FA Cup, two League Cups and one FIFA World Cup.  The skilled footballer scored 118 goals overall in 292 appearances for his old team.

According to the Mirror, Ronaldo has the utmost respect for United, especially Sir Alex Ferguson, whom he coined as a father figure to him during his early years.  The Portuguese player began his career on the Red Devils as an 18-year-old in 2003.

Ferdinand is wishing that the attention surrounding the two powerhouse clubs proves to be too overwhelming for his old teammate Ronaldo to handle.

"It's obviously going to be an emotional night for Ronaldo and a great night for him too.  But hopefully it gets too emotional for him," he said.

He also revealed that he'd been exchanging text messages with Ronaldo in regards to the big-time Champions League matchup, but made it very clear what the task at hand is.

"We've had a few texts, but when you get into a situation like this when you're coming up against a friend, all the texts and the conversation go to one side and you don't really speak until you actually get the game over and done with," Ferdinand added.

"The fans appreciated him when he was here and since he's been gone they sing his name.  He came here a young boy and left a world-class player.  He showed a lot of respect when he left and still does," he said.

Manchester United will square off against Real Madrid in Champions League play on Wednesday Feb. 13 at 7:45 p.m. GMT.  

A live stream of the game will be available for those who either have a subscription to Sky Sports or would like to sign up for one.  Simply log onto www.skysports.com/xtra in order to view the matchup or sign up.

Tags: Champions League