‘This is why I came back – I miss this club’: Cristiano Ronaldo revels in sealing thrilling Champions League winner for Manchester United – with star insisting he wants to repeat his previous glory at Old Trafford
Cristiano Ronaldo claimed that big moments such as the one he experienced in scoring Manchester United’s winner against Villarreal are why he returned to the club.
The Portuguese continued to add to his fairytale story after re-joining the Red Devils by scoring a 95th-minute goal to snatch a 2-1 Champions League victory over the Spanish club.
The late winner rescued United from having just one point from their opening two group games, and was Ronaldo’s fifth goal in five appearances this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo said that winning big games for Manchester United is why he came back
Ronaldo scored a 95th-minute winner to make it 2-1 in the Champions League versus Villarreal
The Old Trafford fans were delirious as their hero delivered the goods despite having been a largely peripheral figure for much of the game.
‘This is why I came back – I miss this club a lot,’ Ronaldo told BT Sport.
He expressed his desire to bring back the glory days he enjoyed during his first spell at United, which saw Ronaldo win three Premier League titles and the Champions League among other trophies.
‘I have history with this club and I want to do it again, not only for me but to push the team,’ he added.
Ronaldo, pictured in 2008, said he wants to repeat his trophy-winning first spell at Old Trafford
The 36-year-old admitted that United were in a difficult position against Villarreal after their defeat by Young Boys in their opening Champions League tie.
‘If we did not get the (three) points today, it would be tough to go through to the next stage,’ he said.
‘But now everything is possible, everything is open and we believe we’ll go through.’
Ronaldo took to social media immediately after the game to illustrate his joy at winning the game for United, sharing an image of his bare-chested celebrations after slotting the ball home.
Ronaldo issued the following celebratory Instagram post immediately after the match ended
Former United defender Rio Ferdinand revealed Ronaldo texted him insisting he knew he would score on Wednesday night while United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hailed Ronaldo for his heroics at Old Trafford.
‘When you have Cristiano on the pitch you always have a chance,’ Solskjaer said.
‘He is so good in front of goal and has an impact on everyone – the crowd, the players the whole club.
‘He’s done that so many times. When you saw him (for Portugal) against Ireland a month ago, he missed a penalty early and didn’t touch the ball more or less, but scored two great headers in the last few minutes.
‘That’s what he’s done throughout his career. He stays in the game. I’ve seen him all day, the way he’s built up for this game and when he gets that one chance it’s a goal.
‘He had a couple of half chances but a true mark of a great finisher that he keeps calm when the chance arrives.’
