Cristiano Ronaldo's ex-girlfriend Irina Shayk has admitted that she felt "ugly and insecure" during a previous relationship.

The Russian model spent five years in a relationship with the Real Madrid star before the couple split up in January.

While it is uncertain whether the 29-year-old was speaking directly about Ronaldo, her admission that she was with the "wrong man" has sparked suggestions that the model was alluding to her relationship with the footballer.

"My ideal man is faithful, honest and a gentleman who knows how to treat women," Shayk told Spanish magazine Hola. "I don't believe in men who make us feel unhappy, because they're boys not men.

"I thought I had once found the ideal man but it didn't turn out that way. I think a woman feels ugly when she's got the wrong man at her side. I've felt ugly and insecure."

Since their relationship ended, Ronaldo has been romantically linked to two TV presenters.