Cristiano Ronaldo news: Former United superstar reveals what Roma players begged him to do in 7-1 thrashing in 2007
What's the story?
Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed what Roma players begged him to do during former club Manchester United's UEFA Champions League clash against the Italian side in 2007.
In case you didn't know...
Back in 2007, Premier League side Manchester United played host to Italian outfit AS Roma in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.
Sir Alex Ferguson's side went into the game as the favourites, following the advantage they earned by winning the first leg of the fixture 2-1.
Ronaldo found the net twice during that game, putting in a phenomenal performance that prompted the Roma players to resort to other ways to stop the forward.
However, the Manchester side ultimately registered seven goals, way more than what they even needed to secure a place in the semi-final.
The heart of the matter
Ahead of Juventus' game against Roma this week, Ronaldo has revealed the tactics that the Italian club's players used to stifle his goal-scoring efforts during the infamous thrashing in 2007.
According to a report in The Express UK, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner said, "When it was 6-0, they asked me to stop, an opponent begged me to stop dribbling. Others threatened to hurt me."
The former Manchester United star is clearly not over the rivalry as he bluntly added that there is no player in the team that he would exchange his shirt with.
"Roma? There is no player with whom I would exchange a shirt."
After losing their semi-final clash to AC Milan that year, United went on to face Roma once again in 2008, in a game that saw the Portuguese score a delicious header at the Stadio Olimpico.
Ronaldo, who has scored 11 goals in 16 appearances for Juventus so far, will hope to find the net against Roma once again when they meet this weekend.
What's next?
While Juventus will look to extend their lead in the Serie A, Roma will hope to earn a crucial three points to revive their bleak season.
The two sides will lock horns in a Serie A game on Saturday night.