Ronaldo Interview!

Cristiano Ronaldo spoke exclusively with World Soccer earlier this year - and heres the interview in full.....

World Soccer: You could be the first player to win a clean sweep of Golden Shoe, Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year awards. How does that feel?
Ronaldo: It's wonderful to win the Golden Shoe, it's a great honour. Especially because my position is a winger. Normally strikers win this award so it's amazing for me to be part of it and to be mentioned alongside the great players. As regards the decision of FIFA, I'm not worrying about that too much. I feel very good to win the Golden Shoe, I'm very happy.

World Soccer: If you had to choose somebody, who would be the best player in the world right now?
Ronaldo: Cristiano Ronaldo! No, not really! I don't know. Last season I was one of the most consistent players in Europe; this is why I am so comfortable. I've now won the Golden Shoe and UEFA voted me the best player in last season's Champions League. It's been amazing. You have a lot of great players in the world, but I was the most regular player last season.

World Soccer: What are the remaining ambitions in your career?
Ronaldo: I'm looking to be one of the best players ever. I'm only 23 years old, I've got lots of years left. I want to be remembered as part of the group of the greatest players ever to win awards, to win trophies, to win medals. And I want to keep going like that. I feel good, I feel in good shape and I want to win -- and not just this season but every season.

World Soccer: So does your club come before your country?
Ronaldo: I want both things. With Manchester [United] to win the Champions League again and the League and, of course, for Portugal to win something important like the Euros. It's not just my dream, it's Portugal's dream as well. We have a good spirit, we have good players, but you need to take your opportunity. You need that to win a big trophy. It's difficult but I think it's possible.

World Soccer: You wanted to receive the Golden Shoe here in Madeira. What makes Madeira so special for you?
Ronaldo: Well, I was born here, my whole family is from here. So it's always special for me to come to Madeira to see my family, to see my friends, to see everybody, and I always said that if I ever had the opportunity I would chose Madeira because it is my place, this is where I was born. ESM gave me the opportunity to choose [where I received the award] and of course I chose Madeira. It's beautiful, the people are nice and I feel very proud of Madeira.

World Soccer: Do you think you will come back here to live when you retire?
Ronaldo: Of course. My whole family is here. My mum lives here, my sisters, it's a great place, I love to come here. I don't have many opportunities to come but when I do, I love it. The weather, the people, the water, everything is fantastic. I arrived here yesterday from Manchester where the weather was very bad. When you arrive you notice the difference. It's a lovely place, not just because I was born here.

World Soccer: It seems Portugal and United have missed you. Is that true?
Ronaldo: I don't think so. Some people have been saying that Manchester and Portugal lose because they don't have Cristiano, but last season, we started badly in the Premier League and I played. I wanted to come back quickly to help my teammates, to help my team. I love to play football and when I'm not playing I feel very, very bad. Football is like that sometimes: You win sometimes and you lose sometimes. This is life, you learn from that. I believe we can win the Champions League and the league again because we have a great team and great players. Portugal is also the same. I want to come back for the Portugal national team but I think the qualifying campaign is long and we have the opportunity to do a great job.

World Soccer: Portugal has had many great players since Eusébio -- such as Fernando Gomes and Luís Figo -- but nobody has emulated him. Are you prepared for a time when you might be considered Portugal's greatest player?
Ronaldo: Of course it's important to represent my country well, but I don't need to be compared with any other players. It's amazing to be compared with these great players you mentioned but I want to be part of world football -- not just in Portugal because I am already part of Portuguese football. I want more. My ambition is to win more things and stay part of history after I have stopped playing. If I can keep going like that, things will keep coming naturally.

World Soccer: You left Madeira at an early age. Was it hard for you to leave home so young?
Ronaldo: I left my family at the age of 11 or 12. That was a very difficult time for me. Now, nothing is a problem for me. When I moved to Manchester at 18, I didn't speak the language but it was no problem because I had experience [in Lisbon], so when I arrived there, it was not so difficult for me. My adaptation was not easy, but it was a good adaptation. It's always difficult when you're young and you have many things to learn and I am always wanting to learn. This is why I like to learn. I don't know everything about football or about my mentality. I want to learn all the time. Last season I had a great season, this season I will try to do better if it's possible.

World Soccer: How long did it take for you to settle in Manchester? Have you now reached a point where you are comfortable there?
Ronaldo: I feel happy in Manchester. My challenge is always to do better than I did the previous season. I'm quite happy there, I like the league, I like the club, but sometimes you want different things in life. You want new challenges. I don't say I want a new challenge this season, but it's always good for your mind, for your career, to have other things to do and other things to win. This is what I try to do. If I stay in Manchester, I try to do the same, I try to win the trophies again.

World Soccer: What was your dream when you were a child?
Ronaldo: When I started in Madeira, my mission was always to be a professional footballer, but I never dreamed I would be at Manchester United at 18 years old. It was amazing for me. But my ambition is always to play well. I remember when I was young the opportunities came along and I took them. I moved to Nacional and I played a few years there -- two years -- and then I went to Sporting and the opportunities kept coming. And when I arrived in Manchester everything happened very quickly.

World Soccer: Your life has changed incredibly over the past 10 years. How do you cope?
Ronaldo: Well, it's been change for the good. When you change in a bad way it's more difficult. My house is better than 10 years ago, but this doesn't change my character, my mentality, my ambitions. I'm still the same, whether I've got one million in the bank or nothing. My personality is still the same: it's to play football, to enjoy my life. This is what I try to do all the time, to enjoy life. Not because I have more money than I did 10 years ago. I don't change anything.

World Soccer: What do you think you would have done if you had not become a footballer? Did you have a "Plan B" as a child?
Ronaldo: That's a difficult question. My ambition, my focus, has always been on football. When I was 5, 6, 7, I always asked my mum for a football as a present. It was never a bike or computers or Game Boys. I never asked for any of that. It was always a football, just a football. So my ambition was always to be a professional footballer. This is why I think I am like that. I don't know what I will do in the future. My focus has always been football.

World Soccer: Is the ball still a toy? Or has it become a working tool?
Ronaldo: No -- it's still a toy!

World Soccer: It is clear that you are very close to your family. How much of your success as a footballer is down to their support?
Ronaldo: I've had support from my whole family. If my family hadn't supported me when I went to Lisbon at age of 11 then I wouldn't now be Cristiano Ronaldo the professional footballer. My mum gave me that opportunity. My father and my sister said if you want this opportunity to improve your life, try it. Maybe another family would have said no, stay here, you're young, you have to stay here with your brothers, with us. It's quite a difficult situation. I have to say my family gave me all their support, they've helped me a lot, in good times and bad times. That's why I'm here now.

World Soccer: Do you need to have a mental strength to cope with life as a professional footballer?
Ronaldo: You have to be strong mentally. When I arrived in Lisbon, for the first year I cried every week, but that's why I say my family helped me a lot. People from Sporting, my friends, directors, everyone helped me. I'm always focused on doing well in life and many people have helped me and that's why I'm where I am today.

World Soccer: Is life easier or harder playing for a club like Manchester United?
Ronaldo: Well, it's always good to play with great players. Manchester has a lot of great players. To be honest, I think you just try to do your best to help Manchester. For me every season is a new challenge. Five years ago I arrived in Manchester and I played well. Then the next season I played better; the third season better still. I've always tried to improve every season. This season I will try to do the same. It will be difficult because last season I scored so many goals and won a few things. If you have good players around you it helps. I think I am with the right club at the moment. I play with the right players. Everything is natural. I want to win again.

World Soccer: Did you keep an eye on the Golden Shoe rankings last season?
Ronaldo: At the start of the season, I wasn't thinking about it. My focus wasn't just to score goals. I looked to help my team first, to win things. If the goals came, then great. But when I started scoring, the goals kept coming, so in the middle of the season I started thinking that this was a great opportunity to win the Golden Shoe. The goals kept coming, the wins kept coming. My teammates helped a lot because without them it would have been impossible to score the goals.

World Soccer: But were you watching the other leading players in the competition by the end of the season?
Ronaldo: Yeah, of course! I spent a lot of time watching other games. But I had a lead over the other guys so I was quite relaxed during the last few games.

World Soccer: You're like a rock star these days. Does fame bother you?
Ronaldo: I never think about it. Over the last three years, my life has changed a lot. All over the world people know me, they recognize me. One aspect is good, it's nice. But some aspects are not so good. People watch everything you do. You have to stay on your guard all the time. It's quite difficult because of that. But I have to think about my career. This is the most important thing for me. I don't care what people say about things outside of football. This doesn't matter. About football, yes I care, because that is what I love to do. Football is my career and it's always nice when people say nice things about you but, to be honest, it's not difficult to be famous.

World Soccer: Do you ever see yourself starring in the movies?
Ronaldo: Oh yeah, well maybe in the future! [Laughs] I have talents other than just football! People don't know about them, but I do!

World Soccer: You've just had your first serious injury. Last year, the Belgian goalkeeper Stijn Stijnen said he would try to break your legs.
Ronaldo: Yes, he tried to intimidate me. But it was no problem because I scored two goals!

World Soccer: Have you ever been intimidated by an opposing player?
Ronaldo: To be honest, I'm never afraid of football. Of some other things, yes, I am afraid, but in football, I'm not afraid of anything.

World Soccer: But it does happen quite a lot doesn't it?
Ronaldo: It's normal. The papers try to talk about it but it doesn't work on me. My focus is always to play well. When I step onto the pitch, I switch my mind on and I don't think about what people say about me. If they say that Cristiano Ronaldo doesn't defend, I don't think about them. I try to concentrate on my own job.

World Soccer: You have mentioned your family, but who else has been important in your career?
Ronaldo: Everyone. Every coach has helped me. The players, the directors, my friends -- they have all helped me and made me what I am today.

World Soccer: Was it important for you to have Portuguese people such as Carlos Queiroz with you in Manchester?
Ronaldo: When I arrived there, nobody spoke Portuguese. Now, nine or 10 players can speak Portuguese. There are some Brazilians, some from Angola. It's nice to hear Portuguese on the pitch, in the gym. It's always nice.

World Soccer: Are there lots of different languages spoken in the dressing room at Manchester United?
Ronaldo: Most of the players speak English. It's only me, Nani and Anderson who speak Portuguese regularly. We can make fun of the English because they don't speak Portuguese!

World Soccer: Sometimes defenders get upset when you make fun of them on the pitch. Is it part of your character to show that you are a top player?
Ronaldo: I've always played like that. You didn't get an opportunity to see me when I was 6, 7, 8 years old. Some people who knew me then say it's the same Cristiano. I like to dribble, to run with the ball. Maybe some people think I do that because I'm a joker but this is my style, this is what I try to do, this is what I like to do. I like to dribble, this is my type of footballer. Some other players have a different style but I've always been like that. I know some defenders get angry with me and try to kill me on the pitch. That's normal in football.

World Soccer: Some people have said Italian soccer is now a home for older players, like Andriy Shevchenko and Ronaldinho, while England is better for younger players.
Ronaldo: Well, Milan has won the Champions League with older players. Age is not the most important thing. Italian people have a different mentality. If you do the right things on the pitch, people don't care about age. If you have talent, you have to play. In Italy, if you are a player of 35 and you are a better player than a boy of 20 or 21, you have to play. Age is not important.

World Soccer: After the 2006 World Cup, there was a lot of speculation that Manchester United fans would not accept you, but they did. After this summer's rumors about a possible move to Real Madrid, were you worried the supporters might react in the wrong way?
Ronaldo: Well, I think with special players, there is speculation all the time. If you play well, if you are one of the best players in the world, all clubs want you. This is normal, it's not just for me, it's normal for everyone. For Ronaldinho, for Kaká, for [Lionel] Messi, for [Frank] Lampard. It's always news. When you play well in one season, the other clubs talk about you. This is nice. The other clubs appreciate you and I think it's good for your development.
I did an interview during the summer and I said what I think. I'm an honest guy. I always speak with the right people in the club, I feel very happy in the club. I say what I'm thinking. I have no fear. People know when I put on the Manchester United shirt I try to do my best all the time. I try to score, I try to provide assists, I try to win things. I've been at the club for five years and I think the fans love me because I play well, I enjoy the crowd. It's not easy for me but when I start to play the fans will be happy.

World Soccer: You've been at the club five years, but players like Ryan Giggs and George Best are legends because they spent their whole careers at Old Trafford. Is that something that you aspire to? Or are you already a legend?
Ronaldo: Well, I feel good in the club. But I've said 1,000 times: In the future, no one knows. I think I'm part of Manchester United's history now after what I've done. But I want more. It doesn't matter which club I play for: whether it's Nacional, Sporting or Manchester. I'm always honest, I'm always professional. I've always tried to be professional, it doesn't matter with which club. But at the moment, I feel great in Manchester.

World Soccer: You said earlier that you like new challenges. Can you do that by staying with the same club, in the same league?
Ronaldo: Why not? I'm ambitious. If I stay in Manchester, I'll be the same and keep on trying to get better.

World Soccer: But what can you do more than you did last season?
Ronaldo: More? Well it depends what you're looking for. If you're looking for more goals, it won't be easy. Maybe I could score against every team in England! It will be difficult, but goals are not the most important things sometimes. Some players appreciate players when they help the team, when they are a team player. Goals are important but if you help the team, everyone enjoys it, everyone is happy. This is what I try to do.

World Soccer: Are you saying you want to be more of a team player?
Ronaldo: Exactly. The players respect you more when you are more of a team player.

World Soccer: Does it surprise you that a striker didn't win the Golden Shoe?
Ronaldo: Well, I took my chances. It's not easy when you play as a winger; it's not the same as a striker. You have more opportunities to score as a striker. This award is a good opportunity to show people that football has changed. I've changed it a little bit because I'm the first winger [to win the award]. Something has changed. It's nice that I've changed that.

World Soccer: Do you think not being a striker may even have helped you to score so many goals last season?
Ronaldo: It depends. Last season I had more opportunities to play in more of a free role and I scored a few goals from free kicks and penalties. So that helped me a little bit.

World Soccer: Now that United has signed Dimitar Berbatov, do you think you will play more in a wide role this season?
Ronaldo: I hope not -- and to be honest I don't think I will.

World Soccer: So do you prefer to play in a free role more?
Ronaldo: Last season I played with [Wayne] Rooney and Carlos [Tévez], sometimes we moved around. I think this season it will be the same because we'll all be playing.

World Soccer: But Berbatov will be the focal point of the attack? Surely that will be different.
Ronaldo: No, you can change a little, just for five minutes [laughs]. It's OK. I hope we can change things a little to give me an opportunity to play in the front a little bit. To be honest, it doesn't matter. If you are winning, that's the most important thing.

World Soccer: What do you think about the takeover of Manchester City?
Ronaldo: It's crazy!

World Soccer: United is now the second richest team in Manchester.
Ronaldo: It's unbelievable. These people have money, but sometimes money doesn't buy you the right players. You can never tell what will happen in the future, but that's my opinion.

World Soccer: Have you spoken to your teammates about it?
Ronaldo: Of course, everyone's talking about it because it's a lot of money. But it's quite a surprise for everyone. I think it's nice that a guy like this comes along, like [Roman] Abramovich changed things at Chelsea. For 50 years, Chelsea had not won anything, then Abramovich arrived and they won two titles straight away with [José] Mourinho. Why not Manchester City? It's good for football.

World Soccer: United wouldn't let you join Real Madrid in the summer. But how would you feel if they were to say, because of all Manchester City's money, you can go and play for the local rivals?
Ronaldo: It's not about money. Money's not the most important thing. It's good for Manchester City, who now want to change everything, they want to buy great players. But you need time to do that. But it's nice for football that it's not just Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea [able to buy top players]. Maybe Manchester City can compete for the league as well -- that would be good for football.

World Soccer: You say that money is not everything. Is that why you did not move to Madrid?
Ronaldo: So many questions about Madrid! Well, [I can say] money was not the reason, 100 percent.

World Soccer: How much did Manchester United suffer when Queiroz left? And how much did the Portugal national team gain?
Ronaldo: I had the opportunity to work with Queiroz for four years and, for me, Carlos is amazing. He's an amazing coach, I love to work with him. He has nice methods of training, he's very professional. In my opinion, we miss Carlos in Manchester but we win with him in the Portugal squad. Sometimes, I think a coach needs time to do a good job, but I look forward to working with him. He's a great man and a great, great, great coach. If you had the opportunity to sign Carlos to stay five years in Portugal, you should sign him because he's fantastic. I've had the opportunity to work with him for a few years and he was amazing.

World Soccer: Do you think Mourinho will be successful in Italy?
Ronaldo: Why not? When you are good, you are good everywhere, not just in England or Portugal. Sometimes you need time because it's a different league, with different football. But he's going to do a great job because he's a great coach and he's got great players around him.

World Soccer: And what about Ricardo Quaresma, who has joined Mourinho at Inter Milan?
Ronaldo: It's the same. He played for many years in Portugal. Now he's playing in a different league with a different mentality. I have to wish him all the best for the future.

World Soccer: Fellow Portugal international Danny also grew up in Madeira. Do you know him?
Ronaldo: I've known him for many years. He's a great lad, a great player. Now he's joined Zenit [St. Petersburg]; it's good for him, he's started to get called up by Portugal. It's a good opportunity. He deserved that because he's a good boy.

World Soccer: Finally, Cristiano, is there a secret to your free-kick technique? How do you bend the ball?
Ronaldo: My nails [laughs]. I don't know, I just practice all the time. How and what, I can't tell you, it's a secret!

This article originally appeared in the November 2008 issue of World Soccer magazine.