Cristiano Ronaldo reflected on the feeling of ‘love’ in facing former side Manchester United, who he helped Real Madrid to defeat yesterday.
The 28-year-old, who spent six years at Old Trafford, scored the decisive goal in Madrid’s 2-1 victory on Tuesday evening to eliminate his former English employers 3-2 on aggregate at the Champions League Last 16 stage.
“I'm happy to win but also sad for Manchester United. I didn’t celebrate the goal but I was happy inside,” commented Ronaldo post-match.
“I have a lot of respect for the support that the fans gave me in my six years in Manchester. The most important thing was to win and we are very happy.
“I've done my job, which was to help Real Madrid win and go through to the quarters. I scored at the Bernabeu and I've done it again here.
“It is a very strange feeling, a feeling of love, not power. If one day I leave Real Madrid, it will be the same. When I played against Sporting Lisbon I also felt something.”
The game’s key talking point was compatriot Luis Nani’s red card for United.
“I have not spoken to him about the sending off. I have not seen him. These things happen in football and are refereeing decisions.”
