UEFA Champions League: The last time Ronaldo faced English opposition in the Champions League he departed Old Trafford to a standing ovation having put Manchester United to the sword. A thunderous hat-trick, as Real Madrid lost 4-3, secured a 6-5 aggregate victory, brought United fans to their feet and drew admiring chants of "Fergie, Fergie sign him up".
"I'll never forget it," the Brazilian said afterwards - hardly surprising but it was a sentiment made all the more real by the contrast to his relationship with his own fans. How he could do with a similar reception from the Santiago Bernabeu.
Applauded from Old Trafford, Ronaldo has more often been whistled from his own ground. So exasperated has he become that yesterday he admitted he will rethink his future in the summer.
And, asked if England would be a possible destination should he decide to leave, Ronaldo said: "Everywhere would be a possibility."
Taking advantage of the opportunity to face a wider media pack than just Madrid's before tonight's Champions League match with Arsenal, Ronaldo said: "I have never felt loved at the Santiago Bernabeu and I don't understand why. I have never been treated with affection here.
"I have never stayed in a place where I am not wanted and I will consider my future at the end of the season. I love the city and I'm playing in a great team but the relationship with the fans is an important factor in any decision I make. I have never felt at home at the Bernabeu."
Expected to spout platitudes about Arsenal, Ronaldo instead kept returning to the same theme: the Bernabeu crowd. Even questions that had little or nothing to do with his self-confessed "sadness" were met with pointed remarks about the fans and his future. "Like me, Thierry Henry has nothing to prove," he insisted, and the response was similar when asked about Antonio Cassano's excess weight. People make mistakes calling him fat," Ronaldo replied, "and they make mistakes when they call me fat, too."
Ronaldo's relationship with the Bernabeu has long been strained, despite him being the most consistent goalscorer in the club since joining in the summer of 2002. Real Madrid have been rescued at one end by Ronaldo and at the other by Iker Casillas countless times.
"I have no need to prove anything. I'm 29, I have been a professional for 15 years and I have won practically everything. I know how important I am to the team. I've scored 10 goals in 16 matches despite injuries. My record speaks for itself and I'm capable of self-criticism. I feel happy with my weight; it hasn't changed for a long time and people criticise without knowing all the facts. I would just like to know why they treat me the way they do."
Asked how he expected the fans to react to his rather ill-timed remarks when Madrid face the most important match of the season tonight, Ronaldo responded bluntly: "I don't know and I don't care." Sadly many Madrid fans have already reached that conclusion.
