My 1st final

Cristiano Ronaldo says United’s fans played a starring role in the Reds’ Champions League victory on Tuesday night.

Old Trafford was a cauldron of noise for Barcelona’s visit, as supporters rallied behind United and cheered the lads to Moscow.

“The fans were absolutely fantastic,” Ronaldo told MUTV. “They did a great job and sang for the whole game. It gave the players motivation and helped us get a massive result.”

Ronaldo flung himself to the ground at the final whistle, apparently almost overcome with emotion.

“The feeling is great,” he said. “It will be my first Champions League final and I feel very good. It’s great for me and my colleagues.

“The final is in three weeks and we have time to work and keep our concentration. But the most important thing now is the league.”

MU 1 : 0 Barcelona ... going to Moscow

Cristiano Ronaldo has warned Chelsea and Liverpool that a fired-up Manchester United will be waiting for them as champions in Moscow in three weeks' time.

The winger played his part at Old Trafford last night as United beat Barcelona 1-0 in the semi-final, second leg to set up the first all-English final on 21 May.

By that time, Ronaldo believes his side will have secured the League title.

He said: "Just because we are now in the Champions League Final does not mean we will lose focus on the first prize we can win.

"What we achieved against Barcelona was wonderful but we have two games before we go to Moscow - against West Ham and then Wigan - and our aim is to win both of those.

"Only after that will we really think about the Champions League Final. But it will not matter to us whether we play Chelsea or Liverpool. We have believed all season that we can win in Moscow and going through against a great side like Barcelona gives us more confidence that we can do what we set out to do.

"First, as I say, comes the games we need to win to stay champions of England, and beating Barcelona will give us more confidence to get the job done in the Premier League."

Paul Scholes scored the only goal of the tie after 14 minutes and will now make up for the pain of missing the 1999 final against Bayern Munich through suspension.

United's Korean midfielder Ji-Sung Park believes the disappointment of losing at Stamford Bridge on Saturday is now all the motivation the players need.

"We proved that we have what it takes to be champions, no matter what competition it is," he said. "Obviously playing against either side will be very hard but we have the resolve as well as the talent to win."

Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar agreed with Ronaldo and claimed that a double is a real possibility.

He said: "Some people were questioning whether things might go bad for us after we lost to Chelsea.

"We have shown we have the mental strength. We got to the final. We achieved that. It is a great feeling. "We have a lot of individual qualities, such as Paul Scholes showed in the way he scored that fantastic winner, but being a team is also important and above all we are a team who believe we can have big success this season."

Player of the year

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo has been named as the Professional Footballers' Association player of the year.

The 23-year-old wins the award for the second successive season after another outstanding campaign that has seen him score 38 goals in all competitions.

"I feel very happy. It is a great moment, it is an honour, a pleasure," said the Portuguese star.

Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas picked up the young player of the year award.

Ronaldo beat off competition from Liverpool duo Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, 20-year-old Fabregas and Gunners team-mate Emmanuel Adebayor and Portsmouth goalkeeper David James.

The Portugal international was also in the running to scoop the young player of the year award, a feat he achieved last year, but was pipped to the prize by Spain international Fabregas.

Torres, Micah Richards, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young were the other nominees.

Ronaldo did not attend the event, as he is busy preparing for Man Utd's Champions League semi-final second leg clash with Barcelona on Tuesday night, but was presented with the award by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

"When you work all season to play good, to do something for the team, to do your contribution for the team and then at the end of the season the PFA give you this award, it is a great moment, it is an honour, a pleasure," said Ronaldo.

"It is a great motivation to carry on like that, to work more and get better.

"I feel very good but it is not just my award, my team-mates have helped me a lot this season.

"They give me good passes to score goals - and I score - but it is a good moment for me."

Ronaldo revealed he voted for Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor, but believes the right man walked away with the award.

"I voted for Adebayor because I think he has had a great season as well," he said.

"But you have many players who have had a good season - Torres, Fabregas, many players. But I think I deserve to win!"

Of his award, Fabregas said: "I'm very proud. It's a very prestigious trophy.

"Football is a collective game and you prefer to win trophies with team-mates but it's always nice to have this type of award.

"I dedicate it to my team-mates because without them I would not have won."

BBC broadcaster and former England and Blackpool full-back Jimmy Armfield received the merit award for his services to the game.

I'm going to score in Manchester

Cristiano Ronaldo has warned Barcelona that he will atone for his Nou Camp penalty miss in next week's semi-final decider at Old Trafford.

The Portuguese winger blazed a second-minute spot kick past the post as United and Barca fought out a goalless first leg draw, but he insists he will score when the teams reconvene in six days' time.

"Today I didn't score," he told Sky Sports. "No problem, now I'm going to score in Manchester. Nil-nil is a good result. Of course, if you score a goal it is better for us. We didn't score, but 0-0 is good.

"It was a tough game, Barcelona played very well and kept the ball a lot. But I think we defended very well and we played well too. I think 0-0 away is a good result."

Aside from Ronaldo's penalty miss - and the decision not to award a second spot kick for a foul by Rafael Marquez - the 23-year-old winger is still confident that United can book a berth against either Chelsea or Liverpool in Moscow.

"Now we're playing at home, and I think we're going to win," he said. "The team feels good confidence, we played very well, we play at home now and we have a great chance."

MU 0:0 Barcelona, CR miss penalty

Cristiano Ronaldo missed a second-minute penalty as Manchester United were forced to settle for a goalless draw in their Champions League semi-final first leg with Barcelona.

The Portugal international was handed a golden early opportunity to score the crucial away goal in the Nou Camp that Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager, and his side would surely have coveted.

Instead, Victor Valdes was not even called upon to make a save as Ronaldo side-footed wide of the goal.

A draw was just about the fair result in a match that never threatened to reach the heights promised of a meeting between two of Europe's most entertaining sides.

Barcelona were limited to a handful of opportunities, none of them clear-cut, while United, usually an irresistible attacking force were, by their standards, woeful on the counter-attack.

United could barely believe their good fortune when they won a penalty 85 seconds into the match, not that the award was fortuitous, but more that Milito, the Barcelona centre-back, could have been so foolish.

Ever ambitious, Ronaldo had tried his luck from fully 40 yards with a free-kick that took a deflection off the defensive wall and Paul Scholes swung in the resulting corner from the right.

Ronaldo flung himself at the ball and met it with a header and Milito, only a yard in front of him, instinctively flung up his arms and handled the ball.

Few would have bet against United’s leading scorer stepping up and slotting his 40th goal of the season, but he looked unusually nervy as he sidled up to the spot and sidefooted timidly wide. At first view it appeared he had missed the goal by a good few yards, but slow motion replays suggested the effort clipped the outside of the post.

That escape spurred on Barcelona to come at United, but for most of the first half the visitors kept the Spanish giants at arm’s length.

Gianluca Zambrotta fired in one cross from the right that necessitated a timely clearance from Wes Brown, playing in the centre of defence alongside Rio Ferdinand after Nemanja Vidic was ruled out through a stomach complaint.

Carlos Tevez fouled Yaya Toure in a dangerous position right on the edge of his own area, but Rafael Marquez smashed the setpiece straight into the wall.

Samuel Eto’o then found some space, but Wayne Rooney, who covered acres of ground during the course of the match without ever appearing threatening, hacked clear from inside his own area just as the Cameroon international was about to shoot for goal.

Just before the half-hour United felt, quite rightly, that they should have had a second penalty. Andres Iniesta played a careless ball across his back four which was easily cut out by Ronaldo, who raced by Marquez but was impeded by the experienced Mexico international.

One penalty to the visiting team at the Nou Camp borders on shocking, a second would have been a sensation and it was no surprise referee Massimo Busacca waved play on.

Brown made a desperate diving lunge to block an effort from outside the area from Eto’o while Marquez was booked just before the interval for tripping Ronaldo, a caution that will rule him out of the second leg at Old Trafford next Tuesday.

Barcelona continued to up the tempo after the restart and Edwin van der Sar was forced to tip a speculative 30-yard effort from Zambrotta over the bar.

Brown's slip two minutes later gifted Barcelona their clearest opportunity of the evening. He gave the ball straight to Eto'o who chose to ride a challenge from Ferdinand which, had he gone to ground, would probably have merited a penalty. Instead he continued but could not find the angle to pick out the unmarked Messi in the centre.

Moments later Messi and Iniesta set up Eto'o with some delightful interplay but the striker sliced wastefully wide.

United threats were rare, and when Michael Carrick did make some space for himself he blasted into the side-netting with players begging for the ball in the centre.

Thierry Henry, the former Arsenal striker, replaced Deco with 11 minutes to go and almost made an immediate impact. The France international cut inside from the left flank and tested van der Sar with a ferocious right-foot strike which the goalkeeper beat down with a little difficulty.

Van der Sar made another diving save from a long-range Henry free-kick two minutes from time, but this one was more for the benefit of the photographers behind his goal than out of necessity.

Cris set for record United deal

Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly on the verge of signing the biggest contract in world football with Manchester United, worth £40 million.

The Portuguese winger, 23, will see his weekly salary rise from £100,000 to £150,000, and will put pen to paper before he leaves for Euro 2008.

A source from Manchester United told The Sun: "This will be the biggest contract in the club's history. Given Ronaldo's achievements over the past two years, it's easy to understand why.

"There is no doubt he is the best player in the world and we want to make sure he is happy at United. There is only one place for him and that is Old Trafford."

Ronaldo has had an incredible season so far. He has scored 37 goals for the club in all competitions and recently surpassed George Best's single-season record for a midfielder.

He is also a contender for the Golden Boot, given to Europe's top goalscorer every season. His only realistic competition is Sevilla's Luis Fabiano.

The news will no doubt come as a relief to United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, as the midfielder has been surrounded by interest and speculation all season.

His new contract puts him well ahead of team-mate Wayne Rooney's weekly salary (£112,000), and means he will now be better paid than Chelsea's Michael Ballack (£130,000) and John Terry (£120,000).

Carrick hails resolute Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo showed why he is probably the best player in the world with his twice-taken penalty against Arsenal, according to Michael Carrick.

After beating Jens Lehmann emphatically the first time, Ronaldo was ordered to retake his spot-kick and showed superb poise to put his second effort in the same place – low to Lehmann's right.

That brought United level after Emmanuel Adebayor’s opener early in the second half, and gave the Reds the platform to claim a vital victory through Owen Hargreaves’ free-kick.

Carrick told MUTV: “Ronny dealt with the pressure very well. It was a terrific penalty and that’s what top players do under pressure. They raise their game and produce the goods.

MU 2 : 1 Arsenal

United moved powerfully towards retaining the title with this tremendous victory against old rivals Arsenal on an afternoon of high drama at Old Trafford. Owen Hargreaves scored the winner with a fabulous free-kick after Cristiano Ronaldo cancelled out Emmanuel Adebayor's opener early in the second half. But every man in a red shirt, not just those on the scoresheet, played their part in this priceless triumph.....More

Duo win March awards

Sir Alex Ferguson and Cristiano Ronaldo have been named Manager and Player of the Month for March.

The duo received their awards on Friday after what was a near faultless performance from the Reds over the last four weeks. Sir Alex's monthly prize was the 21st of his career.

United won every one of their five league games in March (keeping clean sheets in every match), netting 13 goals. Five of those strikes came from Ronaldo, who bagged his fourth Player of the Month honour.

The Portuguese winger claimed both goals in the 2-0 win over Bolton and scored again in the 3-0 home thumping of Liverpool. A 4-0 triumph over Aston Villa finished the month, in which Ronaldo netted a contender for goal of the season, cheekily back-heeling the ball past Scott Carson for the opener.

Ronaldo’s goals have not only seen him break George Best’s record of 32 goals in a season from midfield, but now leave him odds on to win the Golden Boot Award.

The 23-year-old is currently six goals ahead of Liverpool striker Fernando Torres and ahead of Sunday’s crucial clash against Arsenal has 27 league goals to his name.

On the March
United won all five league games in March, scoring 11 goals

1-0 v Fulham (A)
1-0 v Derby* (A)
2-0 v Bolton** (H)
3-0 v Liverpool* (H)
4-0 v Aston Villa* (H)

*Goal(s) scored by Ronaldo

MU 2 : 2 Boro, 2R scored again

Wayne Rooney rescued a point for United after Afonso Alves' double had looked set to give Middlesbrough a shock win at a wintry Riverside Stadium.

Rooney converted from close range with 16 minutes left after good work by substitute Ji-sung Park to ensure the Reds extended their lead over Chelsea at the top of the table to three points.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s 37th goal of the season had given United an early lead, but Alves produced two superb finishes in each half to put Boro in command in an end-to-end game.....More

Cris not wrong

Sir Alex Ferguson has defended Cristiano Ronaldo’s showmanship and insists the Portuguese winger would never disrespect his opponents.

Roma’s combative midfielder David Pizarro claimed the United star is “arrogant”. He was quoted in the English press, saying: "Despite the fact that he is a great champion, he is arrogant. This is the ugliest thing for a player. In the return leg, I will have something to say to him."

Sir Alex feels that Ronaldo’s flicks and tricks should be understood as an expression of talent rather than needless flamboyance. The same way a quick player uses his pace to the fullest, or a tough-tackling midfielder won’t pull out of a 50-50 challenge. Ronaldo’s skill is the only way he knows how to play.

“He just tries to express his talent,” said the United boss. “The boy has the confidence and courage to do it and, as far as I'm concerned, he can carry on doing that. People pay £40-£50 to see him play. That may be annoying to an opponent because he’s prepared to take the ball to them and show his talent.

“But at the end of the day he is a winner. You can’t kick him out of the game because he will always get up and play. The most important message he is giving out is that this is a great player that isn’t afraid to take the ball and beat men. That’s what he’s saying. And in whatever fashion he does it, I don’t care.

"It’s about having the ability and expression in his play to be able to do it. We encourage it with all the players here. In the modern day it’s a breath of fresh air to see players that won’t be intimidated by opponents. I say keep on doing it.”

Ronaldo’s fellow countryman, Nani, was accused by Arsene Wenger of disrespecting Arsenal’s players by juggling with the ball during United's 4-0 FA Cup win at Old Trafford earlier this year. At the time Sir Alex sympathised with Wenger, but has since watched the footage again and says there was nothing wrong with it.

“I looked at the video again, and I don’t see that Nani was showboating,” he said. “He was under pressure and he kept the ball up. I’ve seen many players do that. Thierry Henry did it against Southampton in a cup final if I remember correctly. We don’t encourage our players to humiliate opponents - that’s important. But fans want to see players show talent like his. It’s great to see players developing their game so that they can use skill in a big game. We don't want that to change.”

Cris does the double

Cristiano Ronaldo has been voted ManUtd.com's Player of the Month for March and also picked up the Man of the Match award against AS Roma.

The 23-year-old winger was in sparkling form once again last month, scoring six goals in six starts. But he was up against stiff competition for the official website's monthly accolade. Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez have all been consistently good in recent weeks.

Tevez ran Ronaldo closest for the title. The striker scored only once in March (against Aston Villa), but his energy and selfless hard-working attitude have endeared him to Reds supporters. However, it was Ronaldo who ran away with the result, notching a colossal 48% of the vote.

And the Portuguese winger began April exactly where he left off in March. Ronaldo put the Reds in front against Roma on Tuesday just before half-time with a towering, powerful header. His performance, as a lone striker for much of the match, has given United an excellent chance of making the semi finals for a second year running.

March Player of the Month
Cristiano Ronaldo 48%
Carlos Tevez 31%
Wayne Rooney 11%
Paul Scholes 4%
Rio Ferdinand 3%
Michael Carrick 2%
Wes Brown 1%

Man of the Match v Roma
Cristiano Ronaldo 40%
Rio Ferdinand 33%
Paul Scholes 13%
Wayne Rooney 11%
Michael Carrick 2%
John O'Shea 1%

We have great chance this year

Cristiano Ronaldo believes that United have a big chance to win the Champions League this season after an impressive 2-0 win away to AS Roma in the quarter final first leg on Tuesday.

United made a significant stride towards the semi finals, with Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney scoring two potentially crucial away goals.

“I think we have a great chance this year,” says Ronaldo. “The team is playing fantastic football and we are more mature than last year.

“We know the Champions League is different to the Premier League. This is a great competition and of course we want to win it this season.”

Ronaldo, who opened the scoring at the Stadio Olimpico with a powerful header five minutes before half time, says it was a pleasing performance from the defence right through to the front players.

“It was a very good performance,” he told ITV. “It was a tough game, Roma played very well but I think we deserved to win.

“I feel happy to have scored the goal to help the team. We’ve got the second leg at home in a week and we will play to win for our supporters as we did here.

“The defence was terrific. The shape, the way they squeezed Roma. It was a fantastic performance, they did a really good job.”

MU 2 : 0 Rome, CR perfect header

Sir Alex Ferguson last night paid Cristiano Ronaldo what must be the supreme compliment in his eyes. As a centre-forward, the Manchester United manager remarked that Ronaldo reminded him of himself. It was said with a warm smile on a night in which Manchester United virtually guaranteed qualification for a Champions League semi-final in which they will almost certainly have to overcome Barcelona, who won 1-0 at Schalke.

"It changed the game," Ferguson reflected. "It was a fantastic header, although after that we rode our luck in the second half, particularly in the first 15 minutes. Roma had some good chances but failed to take them and those are the breaks you need in football.

"Ronaldo has played as a striker before, against Portsmouth he scored twice, and his balance and courage mean he can play anywhere in the last half of the pitch. His spring surprised the defender; I thought he believed Ronaldo would not get there. It was a real centre-forward's header. It reminded me of me.

"But the decisive moment was to bring on Owen Hargreaves and play Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo through the middle. I should have done it earlier and after that we were much more dangerous." The only blot on the evening was a serious-looking knee injury to Nemanja Vidic that will be assessed in the morning.

Ferguson's other tactical surprise was to ignore Ryan Giggs, who was due to make his 750th appearance for Manchester United last night, and use Ji-Sung Park on the left flank.

"I just felt Ryan put in a lot on Saturday on a very heavy pitch and I was going to use him at a moment where I felt I needed him. But once we were in front it put a different complexion on the whole evening."

As Ferguson remarked, a 2-0 victory away from home is "an absolutely outstanding result". After each Champions League result, the French sports daily, L'Equipe, prints a number that signifies the percentage of teams that go through after a certain result. After a 2-0 win away from home in the modern Champions League, that number is 100. No team has ever overturned a result like this, especially at Old Trafford. Ferguson, however, was taking nothing for granted. He said: "We have to earn the right to be in the semi-final. We know Francesco Totti is an inspirational figure and he will be back but we also know what Old Trafford can be on a big European night and we will be ready for him."

Although the job is not yet finished, United's thoughts will turn to their probable semi-final opponents, Barcelona. Striker Bojan Krkic, 17, struck the all-important away goal in the 12th minute to give the Spanish giants a slender victory over Schalke in Gelsenkirchen.