Ronaldo's high point winning title in Madrid
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo talks to CNN's Pedro Pinto
- He has won the Spanish title, scoring 46 goals, a record for him
- He says that he believes he is better than Messi
- Believes Jose Mourinho is the best coach in the world
The Real Madrid player
has just finished the season of his life, winning Spain's La Liga whilst
vanquishing their hated Catalan foes Barcelona.
He scored more goals than
he ever has before too, 46 in the league to be precise, and 60 overall.
Yet even though Madrid finished nine points clear of second place, it
is Barca's Lionel Messi that still gets all the attention.
"Some people say I'm
better, other people say it's him, but at the end of the day, they're
going to decide who is the best player," Ronaldo told CNN in an
exclusive interview before this weekend's Champions League final between
Bayern Munich and Chelsea at Munich's Allianz Arena.
"At the moment ... I think it is me," he laughs.
Road to the Champions League final
Messi wins third straight Ballon D'or
"Sometimes (the comparisons with Messi) makes me tired ...for him too because they compare us together all the time.
"You cannot compare a
Ferrari with a Porsche because it's a different engine. You cannot
compare them. He does the best things for Barcelona, I do the best
things for Madrid.
"I think we push each
other sometimes in the competition, this is why the competition is so
high. This is why Madrid and Barcelona are the best teams in the world
because everyone pushes each other, not just me and Messi but other
players."
Good cop/bad cop
Perhaps Ronaldo is
right. The world needs the "good cop/bad cop" routine of Messi and
Ronaldo to bring the best out of both them. It might be the reason why
neither has set the world alight on the international stage.
But whilst Messi is
hailed as a secular saint, Ronaldo is derided for his self confidence,
some would say over confidence. How does he cope with the vitriol he
provokes in opposition fans?
"Sometimes, you have to
put on a mask. You cannot smile every time for all the people. It's
impossible, I cannot do that," he says.
"This is not my type of
personality. And people really don't know me. And I do it for that
because I don't want every person to know me, just close friends...you
know, my friends, teammates. These people know me very well. Other
people, to be honest, I really don't care about that."
You cannot compare a Ferrari with a Porsche because it's a different engine
Ronaldo on Messi
Ronaldo on Messi
Still, such has been
Madrid's dominance in the league Ronaldo is entitled to feel, if not
exactly sycophantic praise, then at least recognition of his and his
team's achievements.
"My high point (in my career) is to win the title here in Madrid, La Liga," he explains.
"(It) was my first time,
so I was so happy because it's my best moment here in Madrid, the most
important trophy. In terms of individual, it was great for me, the goals
that I scored, to break my own record...to do 100 points in the Spanish
league which is a record too. It's phenomenal.
"For me this is the most
difficult league in the world. To compete with Barcelona, as everyone
knows is very complicated and we beat them. Nine points ahead...so it
was an amazing year."
In Barca's shadow?
Barcelona. It is the
shadow that follows not just Ronaldo, but also Jose Mourinho, who has
also had a remarkable season in Spain. You could argue it is a shadow
that follows the city of Madrid around too.
"The points speak for themselves," Ronaldo replies when asked about the rivalry.
"Nine points separated
Madrid and Barcelona; it's a lot here in Spain. We played better than
them this year, I'm sure about that. I remember we went there one month
ago and we won 2-1...nobody can do that, it's very difficult so we
deserve to win the league. We are better than them at the moment, but we
have to respect them because they are a great team too."
Now there has never been
a better time for Real Madrid to break the spell of Barcelona. With Pep
Guardiola gone and questions being raised about the age of the Barca
squad, Ronaldo believes that Madrid could go on to do something special,
with the Special One at the helm.
"As a person (Jose
Mourinho's) a humble guy...he's very simple. We joke all the time, with
funny stories all the time. It's great...in terms of coaching, he's
completely different. He's so serious, so professional."
For Ronaldo, Mourinho has proven himself to be the best coach in the world.
Most people think that Bayern is going to win easily. I don't think so
Ronaldo on the Champions League final
Ronaldo on the Champions League final
"This is why he wins the
titles that he won. Because for me, not just because I work with him,
but he's the best because of what he does: the tactics, everything
around the players, the motivation...and you know, the titles speak for
themselves. He won in every country that he's passed, so I think that's
great. I think nobody...two or three coaches do that in their lives, so
we have to appreciate that."
The worst day
Yet the season has not
been without its disappointments. It may well have delivered the
greatest single triumph in Ronaldo's career so far, but it also
delivered its nadir.
"To be honest, it was one of the worst days in my career so far," he admits.
"It's always tough when
you lose something, when you lose on penalties. But I'm not really
worried about that because if I didn't score the two goals most of the
players aren't going to shoot the penalties, so I have to appreciate
what I did in the Champions League, what I did for the club."
The dream
Madrid-Barcelona final didn't happen. Instead we have a final that no
one could predict. On the one hand a Bayern Munich side that
unexpectedly fought back to knock out Madrid. On the other hand a
Chelsea side that shocked Barcelona, the world, and one suspects, even
themselves. Who does Ronaldo think will win?
"Most people think that
Bayern is going to win easily. I don't think so," he says, perhaps
remembering the battles he would have with Chelsea whilst playing for
Manchester United in the English Premier League.
"Don't forget that
Chelsea beat Barcelona which is very, very tough. It will be an
interesting game. I don't know which team is going to win. I'm not going
to bet on anything because Chelsea is very strong. They defend well,
they have a good counterattack. Bayern is a fantastic team too, so it
will be a good game.
In twelve months time he
will hope to realign the order of things and play in the 2013 Champions
League final. For now he'll have to make do with being the best player
in the best league with the best manager in the world.
Should you feel sorry for Cristiano Ronaldo? So far everything seems to be going just fine.
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