Cristiano Ronaldo and a return to the Champions League: «You never know…»
Portuguese star was honored by UEFA during the Champions League draw
Cristiano Ronaldo was recognised by UEFA during the Champions League draw for being the competition’s all-time top scorer (140 goals in 183 games). When accepting the award, the Portuguese star could not hide his satisfaction as he recalled his moments in the competition: «As you know, the Champions League is the biggest in football, the records speak for themselves, but the pleasure of playing in this competition, as they say… the motivation when you hear the music, is crazy. For me it’s special, because I’ve won so many trophies, the top scorer titles. It’s great to be here, I had great memories when I came here to Monaco for this gala.»
The captain of the National Team did not completely close the door on a return to competition: «Our lives are memories, so I have good memories. I’m not saying I might return, you never know, but let’s see what the future brings.»
Asked to choose which of the five Champions League titles he has won has brought him the most happiness, the forward recalled his first title, while playing for Manchester United in 2008, but he did not forget Real Madrid : «It is difficult to choose a moment, but you always think about your first title. I remember when I was in Manchester, I scored and missed a penalty. I remember it was very special, but I also have to talk about Real Madrid , because I won four times there. All the stories, in Lisbon, in front of the Portuguese, it was special. Because Real Madrid hadn’t won for a long time, I was the most expensive player in the world, and there was pressure… ‘when are you going to win the Champions League?’. Goals and the Champions League are like ketchup, once you start winning, you keep winning. Of course I have space [for the trophy], it will have a special place in my museum in Madeira, you can go and visit it.»
UEFA President Alexander Ceferin also spoke about the Portuguese star’s achievements and reinforced his desire for the 39-year-old to play in the competition again: «We need an hour or two to talk about Cristiano’s career, such a successful career. If we think of the Champions League , in football, we think of Cristiano Ronaldo . A great player who deserves this. I have a problem with Cristiano Ronaldo , because he no longer plays in the best competition in the world, but let’s hope he returns one day.»
