Police examine Cristiano Ronaldo’s car after the accident near the Manchester airport on Thursday. (Reuters)

Manchester: Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo escaped injury Thursday after crashing his sports car on the way to training.

The Portugal winger’s Ferrari collided with a roadside barrier in a two-lane tunnel near Manchester Airport at 10:20 am., damaging the vehicle, police said.

At the scene, the 23-year-old European player of the year gave a negative breath test to officers, who said inquiries are on to determine the cause of the crash.

“He’s been briefly spoken to at the scene for a first account of the incident,” said a spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police. “He will be interviewed at greater length at a later date.”

Manchester United said: “He’s fine and trained normally with the team this morning.”

Photographs showed the front of the red car completely crushed after absorbing the impact of the crash. Metal debris, including the front left wheel, was scattered across the road. No other vehicles were involved, although United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was travelling behind Ronaldo in a Bentley at the time.

“The Ferrari went straight into the wall, his front left hand wheel came off and then Ronaldo got out of the car,” witness Jody Lomax told the BBC. “He was all right, he was walking — he was a bit shaken.”

Ronaldo came off the bench Wednesday night in a 0-1 loss at Derby County in the first leg of the League Cup semi-finals.

Another witness said the Portugal international walked away from the wreckage with no sign of injury. “It is amazing he got out of it without a scratch,” said the man who asked not to be named.

A driver who was follwing Ronaldo in the tunnel suggested that his footwork may have deserted him as his super car’s engine roared. “I was driving behind going under the Manchester Airport tunnel when a Ferrari in front of me dropped a gear. It was an awesome sound. I put my window down to listen to the exhaust. It sounded absolutely superb. Then the Ferrari went straight into the wall. (Agencies)