Goal king Ronaldo warns the Premier League: My next target is 50 goals - Sport - Evening Standard
       

Goal king Ronaldo warns the Premier League: My next target is 50 goals

Manchester United player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo has vowed to try to score 50 goals next season after his amazing tally this year.

Ronaldo last night completed a clean sweep at United's end-of-season awards for the second successive season.

The Portugal winger, whose 41 goals were a major factor in helping United retain their Barclays Premier League title yesterday, retained both the fans' and players' player of the year awards.

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One of many: Ronaldo celebrates another goal - and he wants more

Ronaldo also won the goal of the season award for his free-kick at home to Portsmouth in January.

Asked whether he will try to go for the 50-goal mark next season, Ronaldo laughed and said: "Fifty? I don't know. I'll try my best.

"I don't look for goals, I look to play well and if the goals are coming, it's good."

Asked on MUTV about yesterday's title celebrations after the win at Wigan, Ronaldo said: "Sometimes you don't have the words to say what it feels like to be a champion. It's amazing.

"I would have preferred it if it was at Old Trafford because the atmosphere would have been brilliant but we won at the JJB and it's very good to be champions."

Ronaldo admitted he had not expected the title race to go right to the wire.

"To be honest, no," he said. "The feeling is better though, it is a tough Premier League this season but when the referee finished the game (against Wigan) and you can say 'we are champions now' the feeling is great, because we worked for nine months to win this title.

"I feel very proud, very happy, everything."

As for his development as a player, Ronaldo continued: "I think I've not just improved this season; I try to improve every year. I'm better now than five years ago.

"I think at the right club, playing with the right players, you learn all the time. This season has been good for me because I've scored many goals, the team have played fantastically to win the Premier League and we're in the final of the Champions League."

As focus switches to that showdown with Chelsea in Moscow next week, Ronaldo said: "It's going to be fantastic if we win the Champions League. The feeling is going to be amazing if we win.

"In the final you never know, it is 50-50. I'm very happy and proud to play in the final, this is my first time. I feel very excited, the lads have belief and it is a great opportunity for all of the players. The lads want to win and of course I want to win as well.

"We have a great opportunity. Why not? I'm sure in this game that if you have the opportunity to win, you win."

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