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Cristiano Ronaldo boldly claimed that records follow him, not the other way round, speaking to Manchester United's 'Player Diaries’ series. The 37-year-old superstar said that records are coming naturally to him, thanks to his motivation and passion for the game.
Ronaldo returned to Manchester United last season after a fairly successful spell in Serie A with Juventus. He got right to business with the Red Devils, scoring 24 goals in 39 appearances across all competitions in the 2021-22 campaign. He finished as the club's top goalscorer for the season.
While the club struggled throughout the season, Ronaldo personally had a good season and broke multiple goal-scoring records at the club level and internationally.
He displaced Ali Daei as the top international goalscorer of all time. He currently has 115 goals to his name with the Portugal national team.
In March, he surpassed Josef Bican as FIFA’s all-time record goalscorer in competitive matches, reaching 806 goals then. Speaking to the Player Diaries regarding his record-breaking streak, he said (via Goal):
“The records [are] coming in a natural way. I don’t follow the records, but the records follow me so it’s good."
He added:
“It’s still my motivation to carry on working hard, to still love the passion for the game, and of course Manchester and my teammates help me all the way so I have to appreciate all the people who help Cristiano."
Cristiano Ronaldo said that he is happy at Manchester United and wished incoming manager Erik ten Hag good luck
Manchester United failed to qualify for the Champions League, meaning Cristiano Ronaldo will not feature in the competition for the first time in 20 years. This gave rise to speculations that the Portuguese will leave the club for a team that has made it to the elite competition.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, at least for now, hinted that he is not going anywhere. He stated that he is happy at the club and loves the support from the fans. He said (as per Sky Sports):
"I was and still am very happy to be here, and what I have to say to the fans is they are amazing. Even when we lost games, they always support us, they always are with us."
He added:
"The supporters are always in my heart and it's the people that we all should respect because they are always on our side."
He admitted that it takes time for things to turn around and believes that Manchester United will be back at the top. He continued:
"For me, the most important thing is to try to win the games and try to win some championship or some cup but I believe that Manchester will be where they belong. As I say before, sometimes it takes time but I still believe."
Ronaldo also spoke about new manager Erik ten Hag and said that he and his teammates are looking forward to playing under him. He said:
"I know he [Ten Hag] did a fantastic job for Ajax and that he's an experienced coach but we need to give him time. Things need to change the way he wants."
Ronaldo added:
"We are happy and excited, not only the players but the supporters as well. I wish him the best and let's believe that next year we're going to win trophies."
Ronaldo is currently playing with Portugal in the UEFA Nations League. They drew 1-1 against Spain in their first match on June 2 and will face Switzerland on Sunday, June 5.
