Injured Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is champing at the bit for a return to action, and wants to be back in time for 'El Clasico' against Barcelona later this month - if not before.

The world's most expensive player has missed Madrid's last nine matches due to an ankle injury that has also ruled him out of both of Portugal's World Cup play-off matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the coming days.

Ronaldo is due to return to see Dutch specialist Professor Niek van Dijk - who operated on the 24-year-old's right ankle in the summer of 2008 and also looked at the forward's current injury last week - in seven days' time, but the former Manchester United forward feels he is not far off being fit to play.

"I'm not a doctor, but I can say that I'm feeling better all the time. I've already started to run and next week I hope to be with the squad, but we will have to wait to see what happens," he said. "I'm anxious because I cannot play and this is what I like most."

Madrid have no game this weekend due to the international break, and they return with a home match against Racing Santander on the weekend of the 22nd of November, before hosting FC Zurich in the Champions League a few days after that.

They then end the month with that showdown against arch rivals Barca at the Nou Camp - a match Ronaldo is keen to take part in.

"We have games against Racing and Zurich and they are very important. Of course I want to be able to face Barca, which is one of the great games, but I also want to be able to play before then," he said.

In his first seven competitive games this season following his £80million summer move, Ronaldo scored nine goals to help Madrid boast a 100% record of success.

Since losing Ronaldo though, they have stumbled and on Tuesday were dumped out of the Copa del Rey by third-tier minnows Alcorcon following an embarrassing 4-1 aggregate defeat.

Madrid have clearly missed the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year, but he again insisted he is not the saviour of the team.

"Everybody talks about this, but I've said several times that I'm not the saviour. I'm only a player who wants to help my team-mates and my team," he said.

Regarding the cup exit, Ronaldo added in quotes reported in the Spanish media: "This is gone and still there is the league and Champions League ahead, which we must win."