Did you watch Piers Morgan’s (latest) interview with Cristiano Ronaldo? No? Well, we are here to serve and bring you the key takeaways from the chat, during which Piers nigh on needed a bib to collect the drool, such is reverence for the fella.
Who would Ronaldo most like to meet? “If the world is at peace, that’s our goal. And that’s my main objective: to meet Donald Trump and talk about world peace. I’ll tell him what we have in common. But I’ll keep it to myself until that moment.”
How did he sign the jersey he sent to the White House recently? “President Donald J Trump, playing for peace.”
Who’s the most famous? “Me or Donald Trump? I think worldwide, even in small islands, they know me more than him. In the world, no one is more famous than me.”
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Who’s the more handsome, himself or David Beckham? “Being handsome is not just the face, but the whole package. Imagine Cristiano and a normal guy in red speedos in Copacabana ... you think I’m not going to have a chance with anyone? His face is beautiful, yes, a beautiful face ... but the rest is normal. I’m not normal. I’m perfect.”
Bet you’re sorry you missed it now.
QUOTE
“We say in Portugal, ‘miracles is only in Fatima’ ... and he’s not gonna do miracles.”
Cristiano Ronaldo, not quite anticipating Ruben Amorim bringing back the glory days at Manchester United.
NUMBER: 1,000
That’s how many games Pep Guardiola has now managed, with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. His win rate is 72 per cent, his trophy count 39 – decent.
WORD OF MOUTH
“I was 73 on Monday, and I’m 94 now ... They got me a tracksuit. I’ve got these really tight pants. I look like Robin Hood.”
Other than that, Martin O’Neill is enjoying his return to Celtic.
“I often describe it as like being a grandparent. You see the players every six to eight weeks. They come in, you give them their treats, take them to Disneyland, they love you, and then, ‘see you soon ... go back to your parents’.”
Emma Hayes on international management making her feel like a granny.
“It’s an old stadium, with an athletics track and even a moat that pushes fans further away. The Maradona is a s**thole.”
And that was Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis talking about his own stadium, the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Villarreal coach not best pleased about Pafos’ shock win
One of the results of the week in the Champions League – maybe the result – was Pafos FC’s 1-0 win over Villarreal, the Cypriot side’s first ever victory in the group phase of the competition and the first Champions League win for any team from Cyprus against Spanish opposition.
How upset was Villarreal coach Marcelino? Well: “We barely did anything we had planned. And we didn’t show ambition, intensity, or desire. We showed complacency, we were flat, predictable, and slow. We weren’t humble, we didn’t respect our opponent. We deceived ourselves.” Apart from that ...
The most famous goal in Pafos FC’s history – granted, they’re only 11 years old – came in the 46th minute when Dutch defender Derrick Luckassen headed home a corner which, the Cyprus Mail told us, sent “the 8,000 Paphites packed into the Alphamega Stadium into pandemonium”.
Among the Paphites was Nikos Christodoulides, the present of Cyprus who is a diehard Pafos fan. How did he react to the goal? Well, he didn’t actually see it. “He missed the goal having not yet returned to his seat from a half-time refreshment break.” Gutted.
MORE WORD OF MOUTH
“Shall we sing a song for you?”
Aston Villa fans in the direction of that empty away section during their Europa League game against Maccabi Tel Aviv last week.
“To say I fell in love with him wouldn’t be an understatement. He swept into Chelsea. He floated in, he didn’t walk. He was something for me that was almost like a UFO. There’s something about Thomas for me ... stardust. I think it’s God given.”
Former Republic of Ireland assistant coach Anthony Barry is, it seems, quite in awe of his Chelsea and England gaffer.
“Someone who worked a lot with rock stars told me that the age that they become famous is the age they stay for the rest of their life. I thought: ‘That doesn’t bode well for me.’ I was in the public eye at sixteen.”
Joe Cole on remaining forever young.
