Cristiano Ronaldo: I felt immensely proud and happy when I realised I’d won. Winning an award like that requires a lot of dedication and hard work, and is the accumulation of many hours’ toil. I really wanted to win the Ballon d’Or for a second time, so receiving it from two legends like Pele and Platini is a privilege. Now I hope I can do it all again next year and claim my third.
Aside from this award, 2013 featured some remarkable moments in your career. Does one in particular stand out?
I don’t know if I can single one out above all the rest. Actually yes… qualification for the World Cup. I’d say that was what I remember most and was the most emotional thing.
Having recently hit the 400-goal mark as a professional, which would you say was the most significant and why?
Every goal I score is special for me. That said, some obviously carry more weight than others, coming as they do in a final tournament or a final itself. However, all of them are important – at least for me, as they form part of my culture and are part of me. I love scoring goals and for them to be significant in our winning things.
What are your earliest World Cup memories?
It’s hard to say because it was so many years ago. I remember the odd game, yes, though in fact my strongest memories are of matches involving Brazil.
You’ve starred for Manchester United and now Real Madrid: does club football get any bigger or more demanding?
In my opinion, we’re talking about the two greatest clubs in the world. And of course, that’s a source of huge pride for me. When I was at United I won major titles as well as my first Ballon d’Or. And now I’m at Real Madrid, who are the world’s biggest club and one with which I have a very strong bond. I’ve been here for four years and I’ve just signed up for a another five because I think they’re the ideal club for me, the best club, and that’s why I’m so happy to be playing for them.
Madrid are being made to wait for their longed-for tenth European Cup/Champions League crown. Does the obsession with La Décima pile on the pressure?
It does generate some pressure, yes, but it also creates excitement too. Real Madrid are in the hunt for winning the Champions League every year, which is an extremely important competition and one all the teams involved in want to win. Let’s see if luck goes our way this year and we can claim La Décima, which is what we all want.
It’s a given that you’re held in high regard by your fellow professionals, but which players do you particularly admire?
I’m not going to single out just one, but right now there are great players in every team: the ones with me [at Madrid], the lads at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and in other teams like Manchester United and City. It's wonderful to see a new generation of great footballers too, which is really good for those of us competing with them. And it’s also good for the game. I wouldn’t like to pick just one, because there are lots of players I enjoy watching and playing against.
In our final question, we’d like you to finish off the following sentence for us: “In 2014, Cristiano Ronaldo will be…”
(Thinks before answering) …will be the same man he was in 2013.
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