"When you listen to the Champions League music, it turns you on" - Cristiano Ronaldo makes bizarre claim during UCL draw
Cristiano Ronaldo made a rather bizarre claim about the UEFA Champions League anthem during the league phase draw for the 2024/25 season. The Portuguese legend attended the event, where he was presented with a special award by the organization.
This edition of the Champions League will feature 36 teams instead of 32, and each team will play eight others in the league phase. Ahead of the draw, Ronaldo received an award as the highest all-time goalscorer in the competition, in which he has notably scored an impressive 140 goals in 183 appearances.
However, while at the event, the legendary forward made an unexpected claim regarding the anthem, which UEFA tweaked ahead of the draw. The new anthem has drawn the ire of the fans on social media. Cristiano Ronaldo said about the anthem (via @totalcristiano on X):
“When you listen to the Champions League music, it turns you on.”
While his claim about the iconic anthem raised eyebrows, the 39-year-old also spoke about the memories he has from playing in the Champions League. After receiving his award from UEFA president Aleksander Cerefin on the stage, Ronaldo said (via Daily Mail):
"For me it's a pleasure to be here. This award means a lot to me... I have nice memories when I come to Monaco for this gala."
"Our life is memories and I have very good ones. Let's see what the future brings. We always mention the first one, it's the most special. I remember when I was in Manchester, I scored in the final, missed a penalty and it was so special."
Ronaldo was not the only player to receive an award at the ceremony as Gianluigi Buffon also received the 2024 UEFA President's Award.
Cristiano Ronaldo talks about potentially returning to Europe and the Champions League
Ronaldo has lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy five times in his career, winning four with Real Madrid and one with Manchester United. He eventually left the club for Juventus, before returning to United, where his highly publicized rant against the club led to his contract being terminated. He then moved to Saudi Arabia in January 2023.
The Portuguese legend now plays with Al-Nassr. However, when teased about playing in the UEFA Champions League again, Cristiano Ronaldo hinted at a potential return (via ESPN):
"As you know, Champions League it's the highest in football. I had an opportunity, not only you know the record speaks for itself, but I don't mean that, I mean the pleasure to play that competition... it's our motivation. Football... you never know what's going to happen, let's see what the future brings."
While the forward found plenty of success during his time in Europe, the same can't be said for his stint in Saudi Arabia. He is yet to win a domestic trophy with Al-Nassr as Al-Hilal have remained the dominant force in the Middle East.