Roma players pleaded for me not to score : Ronaldo

Posted by footynut in October 2nd, 2007

Well looks like tonight’s Champions League match between Man Utd and Roma will be a little bit more interesting after Cristiano Ronaldo revealed that in last season’s thrashing of Roma (7-1),one Roma player had pleaded with him to show mercy.

“I often get some comments from opposition players that bring a smile to my face,” Ronaldo, who scored twice in the 7-1 romp, told The Times. “It happened during the last match against Roma when we were already winning 6-0. ‘Don’t do any more dribbles, you are already winning by six,’ said one of them, almost begging.”

Roma’s coach Luciano Spalletti however has warned his AS Roma players to keep cool heads on their return to Old Trafford, the scene of their heaviest defeat in Europe.

Spalletti spoke of a determination to “show that it was just a blip in our development and draw a line under it”, he also said it was vital not to get carried away by a desire to make amends. “If we talk about a vendetta, this could mean a lack of calm and balance in our play and at this level, it is not something we can do. We have to remember what we suffered last time, where we went wrong and go out in the kind of condition that will enable us to play against a team as strong as Manchester United.”