The Champions League final promises to be a tight and
tense but, in Cristiano Ronaldo, Michael Carrick believes United
boast the potential match-winner.
The Portuguese winger’s 41 goals and clutch of personal awards show
how influential he has been in helping to clinch the Premier League
title and a place in Wednesday’s showpiece final at Moscow's
Luzhniki Stadium. The stage is set, and Carrick is sure his
prolific and prodigious team-mate will deliver.
“Ronaldo could have a massive say,” he said. “He’s world-class and
will surely be voted World Player of the Year. These are the games
he produces in and there's no bigger game. He’s produced the goods
all season and scored so many goals – there’s no reason why he
won’t do it again.”
However, Ronaldo won’t be doing all the work. Carrick knows that,
with two evenly matched teams, Chelsea pose a formidable threat all
over the pitch.
“It was very tight in the league and going into the last game of
the season level on points shows the teams are well matched,” he
said. “We’re feeling great because we won the title, but we’ll have
to be at our best to win. The rewards and losses are massive,
hopefully we’ll come out on top.”
Success has been forthcoming for Carrick since joining United two
years ago, having already won two titles. But he’s well aware that
the Reds had to wait nine years for a second shot at the Champions
League crown.
“It would mean everything to get a winners' medal,” he added. “It
doesn’t happen often. This is the club’s third final, which speaks
volumes of how tough it is to win. We’ll draw on the older lads'
experience and hopefully that helps us pick it up this time.”