The Champions League anthem hit different
Cristiano stood tall
Shoulders relaxed
But his eyes were locked in
Bigger teams
Brighter lights
More eyes
More noise
And he was ready for all of it
First match of the group stage
He didn't score
Didn't assist
But he ran harder than anyone
Tackled
Pressed
Chased every ball like it owed him money
Commentators said
He didn't shine today
But Sir Alex smiled from the bench
Because he knew
Cristiano was hunting something deeper than stats
By matchday four
That changed
Against a powerhouse team
He exploded
Goal from distance
One with his head
A final assist that broke the defense in half
He walked off the pitch like he hadn't done anything special
But the crowd gave a standing ovation
Even the opposing fans
The media across Europe lit up
"Who is this boy from Madeira?"
"Cristiano Ronaldo is no longer rising. He's arrived."
Clubs in Spain and Italy started asking questions
Scouts took notes
Big agents started watching
But Cristiano ignored all of it
He wasn't done with Manchester
Not even close
At home he cut out every article
Posted them in his notebook
Wrote underneath in pen
They're watching now. Let them. I'm not done.
During training
The staff noticed he was speaking more
Telling teammates where to move
Correcting mistakes
Leading drills
He wasn't just running now
He was leading
Before the last group match
Sir Alex pulled him aside
Europe's watching
They'll want you soon
Big clubs
Big checks
Cristiano smiled
Let them want
I'll give them a reason
That night he scored the winner
Kissed the badge
Then pointed to the sky
But in his mind
He wasn't celebrating
He was just checking off another step on the ladder