Cristiano Ronaldo brands his critics 'jealous' after third Champions League triumph
Despite being 31, Ronaldo has played more minutes than any of his Madrid team-mates this season
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Your support makes all the difference.Cristiano Ronaldo has called his critics “jealous” after scoring the deciding penalty which handed Real Madrid their 11th Champions League triumph in Milan on Saturday night.
The Portuguese was criticised for a limp display during the match itself, a 1-1 draw with city rivals Atlético, but stepped up to take the last of Madrid’s five spot-kicks, converting past Jan Oblak to add yet another honour to his sparkling CV.
Addressing the world’s media at the San Siro in the immediate aftermath of another famous night for his club, Ronaldo was armed with the statistics to prove that his powers are far from waning.
The former Manchester United forward has scored more than 50 goals for the sixth consecutive season at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Despite being 31, Ronaldo has also played more minutes than any other of his team-mates while the stunning tally of 16 goals makes him the highest scorer in the Champions League (his nearest rival Robert Lewandowski scored nine).
For all the praise which comes his way, derision never seems too far away. “Only the jealous don’t feel that,” Ronaldo said, who has now won the Champions League three times. “But I don’t care about that. I always keep the people who love me. So this Champions League is for them, the guys who support me all the time, my fans in Portugal and around the world.”
The former Sporting Clube de Portugal graduate scored for Manchester United in Moscow as they eventually saw off Avram Grant’s Chelsea in the 2008 final. He did so again for Madrid two years ago, against Atléti once again, before his latest match-winning exploits at the San Siro.
“To win my third Champions League, penalties again, is unbelievable,” the Portugal star added. “I was the top scorer in this competition again, I am so proud. We worked hard during the season to win this amazing trophy.”
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