Cristiano Ronaldo dedicates man of the match award to Sir Alex Ferguson following Real Madrid's Super Cup triumph

Cristiano Ronaldo dedicated his man of the match award to Sir Alex Ferguson after scoring twice in Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory in the European Super Cup against Sevilla.

Ferguson was part of UEFA’s technical committee and named the former Manchester United forward man of the match after he won the Super Cup for the first time in his career.

Ronaldo said: ‘I am happy because I scored these two goals and I want to thank Sir Alex for handing me the man of the match trophy.

 

‘He helped me a lot when I was just 18 in Manchester and I want to say I respect him and thank him so much for everything he did in my career.

‘This was a trophy I wanted because I haven’t won it yet. I was nervous, but I managed to work well with the team and I am pleased.’

Ferguson, who opted for the Cardiff City Stadium instead of Manchester United’s final pre-season friendly with Valencia at Old Trafford, admitted it was an easy decision to name him man of the match.

Fergie said: ‘Normally in a cup final it is difficult to choose a man of the match but Cristiano made it easy for me.’

Ronaldo, who was part of the Portugal team who made an early exit from the World Cup in Brazil, claimed new signings Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez have settled straight into life at the Bernabeu.

He added: ‘These are two crucial players for us, they played well and helped the team win an important trophy. That’s why we are happy at Real Madrid to welcome them.

‘They are doing well and playing well. My team helped me and I am happy to score twice.’