Brazilian striker Ronaldo may have a FIFA World Cup winner’s medal in his posssion, but he is hungry for another honour this season.
Making history
Should Real Madrid CF win the UEFA Champions League in May, he will become the only current player to have lifted all three major European club trophies. Having triumphed in the now defunct UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and the UEFA Cup with previous clubs FC Barcelona and Internazionale FC, Ronaldo knows he will never get a better chance to complete the rare and coveted set than this year with Madrid’s star-studded side.
Big ambition
“From a personal point of view, winning the Champions League is one of my biggest remaining ambitions,” Ronaldo told uefa.com. “It is a great competition and for Real Madrid it is the big one. But I want to win everything - not just for me but for my club, so that I can pay back the trust that they put in me.”
Tenth crown
If the Spanish giants do lift the European Champion Clubs’ Cup they will make history as the first to win the trophy on ten occasions. Their galaxy of stars had widely been expected to reach that landmark last season, but a semi-final defeat at the hands of Juventus FC - losing 3-1 in Turin after winning their home leg 2-1 - forced them to go back to the drawing board.
New tactics
“Going out in the semis was a big failure for us because we all believed we were good enough to be champions,” said Ronaldo. “I think we have the best team in the world, so not winning the Champions League was very disappointing. But I am not the only person who felt this way because we all have high expectations at this great club. Scoring goals was not the problem, but we lost out by not being defensively tight when it mattered most. This year we are concentrating more on stopping the opposition, but that’s not easy because at Madrid we just love to attack.”
Goalscoring feats
However, despite beginning their 2003/04 Champions League campaign with two impressive wins over Olympique de Marseille and FC Porto, Madrid have yet to record a clean sheet this season either in Europe or the Primera División. On the other hand, no fewer than ten players have already scored for Madrid in just eight games, with Ronaldo heading the pack with seven goals.
Thrilling times
“Life’s good at the moment,” he said. “I am happy both on and off the pitch and things couldn’t be going better for me at Real Madrid. It is one of the best times of my career so far. What I like to do most is play football and to be playing with the best players in the world is perfect. I have to say that it is a lot easier to play football when you have these guys as team-mates!”
Beckham’s impact
The signing of David Beckham last summer looks to have improved what was an already awesome Madrid line-up. The former Manchester United FC player immediately won over the fans at the Bernabéu with a debut goal against RCD Mallorca in the Spanish Super Cup.
‘Complete player’
Ronaldo says he’s been just as big a hit with his team-mates. “As a player David has slotted into the team perfectly and quite sincerely I think he is one of the most complete players I have played with,” he said. “But every player wants to push himself so I’m sure he will develop even further during his time at Madrid.”
Adrian Clarke, uefa.com