Real Madrid and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo opened a museum in his honour in his birthplace on Sunday, which he said had extra room for the Ballon d’Or and many other trophies to come.
Standing next to his 2008 Ballon d’Or and 125 other individual and team awards dating back to his Madeira childhood, the 28-year-old told reporters the CR7 Museum was a gift to his fans.
“Of course it’s a special day, it’s the opening of my museum and I am proud,” the Portugal forward, who has scored 33 goals this season, said.
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“I have room for more trophies. I don’t really want to mention specific ones. All I want is to win more awards and if the Ballon d’Or comes, there is extra room here.”
Soccer’s world governing body named him, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi of Argentina and Bayern Munich’s French winger Franck Ribery as the three finalists for the 2013 Ballon d’Or award, formerly known as Fifa World Player of the Year.
Ronaldo, this year’s World Soccer magazine’s player of the year, said he was not desperate to win the most prestigious individual award in the sport.
“The World Soccer magazine’s player of the year award was another important trophy but it does not mean I will win the Ballon d’Or. I hope that happens but I am not obsessed about it.” The Ballon d’Or results will be announced on January 13.
Despite the frenzy of reporters and fans at the opening, the space is more humble than your average museum.
It occupies the ground floor of a discreet five-storey building, a few hundred metres from the Funchal city centre and with a view of the Atlantic Ocean.
With an idyllic sunny day greeting him back, it is easy to understand why Ronaldo took the chance to remember that leaving this place remains his hardest moment as a footballer.
“You can’t win anything without sacrifice. Mine was to leave Madeira when I was 11 and try it out at Sporting. To move out to the mainland was the hardest thing in my career”.
Curious neighbours stood on their balconies to witness the ruckus, unusual on the quiet island with 260 000 inhabitants, famous for its luxuriant biodiversity, strong-flavoured bananas and fortified wine.
Source: Supersport
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