Madrid, March 30 (IANS): Former Real Madrid star Kaka has said that the fans of the former European Champions should show more respect to their talismanic forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo has scored over 350 goals since joining Real from Manchester United in 2009. In these seven seasons, he has won the Champions League once and has bagged one La Liga title.

But the 31-year-old has still been subjected to criticism from sections of the Madrid crowd.

"Cristiano is a great player, I am not just talking about his quality, but in terms of what he has contributed to Madrid," Kaka was quoted as saying by goal.com on Wednesday.

"I would like to see the fans have more respect for Cristiano for what he has done for this club. Sometimes I hear whistles against Cristiano and it's not good after all he has done," the former Brazil star added.

Ronaldo's Real Madrid contract expires in 2018, but the Portuguese winger has been linked with a move away from the Spanish heavyweights.

However, Kaka believes Ronaldo should stay put at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"I recommend that he stays in Madrid. The proportion that things happen there is very big, on both sides," he said.

"If things do go well the proportion is big, but if they don't then it's also still big. Much of what has happened with Cristiano and the name he has today is because he played at Real Madrid."