Varane: Why Ronaldo loves the Champions League

Ronaldo became the leading goalscorer in men’s professional football on Saturday when he scored a hat-trick in the 3-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

It was his 59th career treble and his first for United for 14 years. Cristiano is famously also the top marksman in Champions League history, with 141 goals in 186 games – a tally which has heavily contributed to the five titles he has won.

The 37-year-old has often risen to the occasion in Europe’s top-tier competition, including for United this season, and Varane believes there’s something about the tournament and the attention given to it that spurs his team-mate on.

“I think he’s a very great player and I think he feels different when the pressure is higher,” Raphael told us as part of an exclusive interview with United Review, our official matchday programme.

“When it’s a big moment, he can feel – I don’t know if it’s more motivation or something different, but we know in special moments he’s always ready.

“He will be very important for us.”

Of course, Varane is no stranger to European success himself, having helped Real Madrid to four titles during his decade-long spell at the Bernabeu, including a rare ‘threepeat’ between 2016 and 2018.

And he cherishes the drama and magic of the competition, having enjoyed watching on since he was young.

“I grew up with the Champions League and with big games and special moments,” the 28-year-old continued.

“Obviously finals are special but you can see every year the classification of some games is absolutely crazy.

“I think for the beauty of the football and our passion, a lot of moments are from the Champions League and the big, big moments are very special and some games are very crazy.

“But that’s why we love football, because sometimes it is unpredictable.”

If selected, Varane will appear in the knockout stage at Old Trafford for the second time.

He started as a teenager in Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory at this stage back in 2013, when Ronaldo returned to the Theatre of Dreams for the first time since leaving United for the Spanish club.

Raphael’s main memory is the electric atmosphere in M16 that night and he hopes it can be the same – with a different result – on Tuesday.

“Yeah I remember the atmosphere was absolutely fantastic.

“It was the return to Old Trafford for Cristiano and the atmosphere was very special and I think the fans are of real importance in these kind of games.

“For the emotional moments in the Champions League, the stadium is very important.

“The atmosphere is not a detail. I don’t know how to say it, but it’s really important.”

Read the full interview with Rapha in the Atletico Madrid edition of United Review, available at the ground on Tuesday or online here.