“I wasn’t afraid of any on the field, even if that player wanted to smash me” - Nani explains courage while saving Cristiano Ronaldo’s blushes

Nani discussed the penalty kick he took against Chelsea in the 2008 UEFA Champions League final shootout win after Cristiano Ronaldo had missed for Manchester United.

Nani was selected as the Red Devils' fifth penalty kicker as the game went to penalties, after the two sides were unable to find the winning goal in regulation and extr time. Cristiano Ronaldo shockingly missed his kick after getting the first chance to open the scoring from 12 yards.

Nani talked about how he felt after Ronaldo missed, as he was also scheduled to take one(via Mirror):

“When I saw Cristiano (Ronaldo) miss his penalty, the first in the shoot-out, it made us feel a bit nervous, but because we had gone first, we continued to believe we could win.

"That was what I was thinking when I was going to take the penalty - I just need to score my penalty and then the pressure is not on me, it's on others."

When his turn came to take his penalty against Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, Nani said about his thoughts:

“It was difficult. When I looked at the goal and I saw Petr Cech, who's so big, I was thinking 'where am I going to put the ball?' and he almost saved it!"

He added:

“But at that age I was so brave. I wasn't afraid of any player on the field, even if that player wanted to smash me. He could smash me, but I was always thinking I was stronger than them. That was one of the things that gave me the possibility to compete at the highest level.”

Nani went on to play for other clubs, including Sporting Lisbon, Orlando City, Venezia, Melbourne Victory, and most recently Adana Demirspor. Ronaldo, meanwhile, plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

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Cristiano Ronaldo angry after being denied chance to score against Damac

In the 1-0 Saudi Pro League win at Damac on Saturday, Cristiano Ronaldo had a chance to continue his scorching run of goalscoring form. However, the game was ended by the referee just as the Portugal legend escaped the offside trap and appeared poised to score.

Ronaldo responded to the referee's controversial call with frustration as he kicked the ball into the stands (via TalkSport). The legendary forward was playing brilliantly before game, as he racked up back-to-back hat-tricks against Abha and Al Tai.

In 36 games across competitions this season, Cristiano Ronaldo has contributed an impressive 36 goals and 12 assists. Al-Nassr are 12 points behind Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League.