Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Now I’m a CUB winner every day!
REAL LEGEND SAYS LIFTING TROPHIES FEELS GOOD BUT BEING A FATHER IS THE GREATEST HONOUR OF ALL
CRISTIANO RONALDO has revealed how becoming a father has changed his outlook on success.
Ronaldo has won almost every honour in his glittering career, including no fewer than four Champions League crowns, three Premier League titles, and three La Ligas, plus last summer’s European Championship with Portugal.
The Real Madrid icon has been crowned Ballon d’or winner four times and is widely recognised as one of the two greatest players of the modern era, alongside Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.
But Ronado, 32, now a father of three (below) with another baby on the way, revealed how having children has taken the lustre off his haul of silverware.
“Over the past eight years I’ve achieved incredible things at Madrid,” said Ronaldo.
“But, to be honest, winning trophies later on in my career has become a different kind of emotion. Especially in these last two years.
“At Madrid, if you don’t win everything other people consider it a failure. This is the expectation of greatness. This is my job. But when you’re a father it’s a completely different feeling, a feeling that I cannot describe. That is why my time in Madrid has been special.
“I have been a footballer, yes, but also a father.
“There is a moment with my son that I will always remember so clearly. When I think about it, I feel warm.
“It was the moment on the field after we won the last Champions League final in Cardiff. We made history that night. When I was on the pitch after the final whistle, it felt like I had sent a message to the world. But then my son came on the field to celebrate with me and it was like the snap of a finger. Suddenly, the entire emotion changed.
“He was running around with my team-mate Marcelo’s son. We held the trophy together. Then we walked around the field, hand in hand. It’s a joy that I did not understand until I was a father.
“There are so many emotions happening simultaneously that you cannot describe the feeling in words.
“The only thing I can compare it to is how I felt when I was warming up in Madeira and I saw my mother and sister huddled together in the stands.”
Ronaldo, who spent six years at Manchester United before switching to Real in 2009 in a then world-record £80million deal, also revealed it was always his desire to play for the Reds.
“I wanted to play for the national team, and I also wanted to play for Manchester United because I watched the Premier League on TV all the time,” said Ronaldo (right, training with Portugal yesterday).
“I was mesmerized by how fast the game moved and the songs that the crowds would sing. The atmosphere was so moving to me.
“When I became a player for Manchester United it was a very proud moment for me, but I think it was an even prouder moment for my family.
“At first, winning trophies was very emotional for me. I remember when I won my first Champions League trophy at Manchester and it was an overwhelming feeling. “But I had always admired Madrid, and I wanted a new challenge.
“I wanted to win trophies at Madrid, to break all the records, and to become a club legend.”