After helping Real Madrid win their eleventh ever European Cup title against Atletico Madrid, in the Champions League final on Saturday, Cristiano Ronaldo said he had a ‘vision’ of scoring the winning penalty at the San Siro.
Real was locked 1-1 with city rivals Atletico at the end of extra-time of a thrilling finale which ultimately went down to a penalty shoot-out.
Earlier, Sergio Ramos had given Real the lead in the first half but then Atletico produced a typically gritty performance, as Yannick Carrasco eventually found the equaliser, eleven minutes from normal time for Diego Simeone’s team.
After Juanfran missed his attempt for Atletico during the shoot-out, it was Ronaldo who blasted home the decisive spot kick, thus sparking wild celebrations amongst the Real Madrid players and fans.
“I had a vision and saw I was going to score the winning goal, so I asked (Zinedine) Zidane to take the fifth penalty,” Ronaldo was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
“It is a very special moment, and it is well deserved for the players and the fans, who’ve always been there for us,” he added.
Ronaldo has now won the Champions League three times while Real Madrid manager Zidane is only the seventh man to win Europe’s premier club competition both as a player and a coach.
“Zidane has done a phenomenal job and he deserves it because he’s a gentleman and is humble, so I’m happy for him,” Ronaldo said.
The 31-year-old Portugal star felt that Real Madrid held the advantage due to their superior experience and were able to control their nerves better during the penalty shootout.
“The penalties are always a lottery, you never know what’s going to happen, but we showed that our team had more experience and we showed that we scored all penalties — it was unbelievable, a fantastic night,” Ronaldo said.
