Better than sex? I asked Ronaldo about his greatest ever goal? ‘No! Not with my girlfriend, Geo’

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

The genesis of a big scoop can often be oddly random. A year ago, a private message popped into my Instagram inbox.

‘Hello sir, how are you?’ it began. ‘I saw your murder documentary on Netflix.’

It was only when I saw who it was from that my eyes bulged out of their sockets. Cristiano Ronaldo is not just, in my opinion, the greatest footballer ever, but also – if Instagram followers are now the measure of fame – the biggest star on the planet.

‘The interview was brilliant. Ronaldo was funny, charming, inspiring and surprisingly emotional,’ writes Piers Morgan

He has 184 million followers, 20 million more than Ariana Grande, and even further ahead of The Rock, Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé and his big rival, Lionel Messi.

It turned out that Ronaldo and his girlfriend Georgina are massive fans of my Killer Women and Serial Killer crime shows – so much so that he rang me soon after that first message to discuss them at length.

‘I find it fascinating to see you interview these murderers,’ he said.

‘I’d find it fascinating to interview YOU one day,’ I suggested.

‘I haven’t killed anyone!’ he laughed.

We’ve stayed in touch ever since, exchanging regular WhatsApp messages about everything from our mutual love of fine wine, fast cars and yachts to fatherhood. Finally, he agreed to sit down with me for what would be his first big personal TV interview.

‘I know you like being the best at everything you do,’ I messaged him tonight, ‘and so do I, so let’s make it the best interview you’ve ever done.’

‘Top,’ he replied. ‘Let’s make it happen.’

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

Ronaldo warmed up for our encounter by going berserk for Portugal against Lithuania in the Euro 2020 qualifiers, scoring four stunning goals.

‘Only 4?’ I messaged.

‘Only 4… hahaha,’ he replied.

The laughter hid the reality that he’ll have been genuinely disappointed that he didn’t get five or six. Nothing, I suspect, brings Ronaldo more pleasure than scoring goals. Or does it? I’ll ask him.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 11

Flew to Turin in Italy, where Ronaldo now plays for Juventus. My eldest son Spencer, a sports journalist and massive Ronaldo fan, had pleaded to come too.

‘Gary Lineker took his sons when he interviewed Messi,’ he argued, successfully.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

Game time. At 7.30pm, in a boutique apartment block, a door opened on a rooftop terrace and Ronaldo strolled through clutching a bottle as a gift for me.

‘This is my favourite wine,’ he said.

It was a Barca Velha red from 2008, which I later discovered is one of the greatest vintages from iconic Portuguese makers Casa Ferreirinha, whose fabled quality control is such that they’ve only released 17 editions of it in 67 years. It also sells for almost £500 a bottle! Ronaldo’s taste in wine, like everything in his life, is very expensive.

The interview was brilliant. Ronaldo was funny, charming, inspiring and surprisingly emotional – weeping over an unseen clip we’d found of his late father Dinis, who died of alcoholism in 2005, talking of his pride in his son.

'When the interview ended, Ronaldo asked: "Can I take you and your son for dinner?" I looked at Spencer, who said "YES!" faster even than Meghan Markle would have screamed it when Prince Harry proposed,' writes Piers Morgan

‘When the interview ended, Ronaldo asked: “Can I take you and your son for dinner?” I looked at Spencer, who said “YES!” faster even than Meghan Markle would have screamed it when Prince Harry proposed,’ writes Piers Morgan

He also answered my burning question. ‘Better than sex?’ I asked, about his greatest goal, a bicycle kick for Real Madrid against Juventus.

He hesitated, then laughed. ‘No. With my Geo, no.’

The man with the best abs in sporting history also gave me an unexpected compliment that may end up on my tombstone: ‘Piers, you have good abdominals.’

When the interview ended, Ronaldo asked: ‘Can I take you and your son for dinner?’

I looked at Spencer, who said ‘YES!’ faster even than Meghan Markle would have screamed it when Prince Harry proposed. So we spent a glorious three hours in Ronaldo’s favourite Japanese restaurant, with Georgina and several of his friends, eating fabulous sushi, drinking delicious wine and chatting about life, football, politics and serial killers.

‘I’d like to pay for dinner,’ I said at the end.

‘No, no, NO!’ he cried indignantly. ‘You are MY guests and have come to MY home. I pay!’

Then he gave Spencer and me signed Juventus shirts (I’d given Ronaldo an Arsenal one with his name on), hugged us both and slipped away in his £250,000 Rolls-Royce.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 18

The interview aired last night, and the response has been astounding.

‘Loved it,’ messaged Arsenal legend Ian Wright. ‘What an elite athlete he is.’

‘So revealing,’ emailed another Arsenal legend, Bob Wilson. ‘Now have a totally different view of him.’

‘Every young aspiring sportsman or woman should watch it,’ said Jamie Redknapp.

‘Amazing man/athlete,’ boxer Anthony Joshua posted on his Instagram.

‘Incredible,’ texted England cricketer Sam Curran. ‘Cristiano is the biggest sporting star in the world.’

Non-sports figures were equally enthralled. ‘If Carlsberg did TV interviews, this would “probably be the best interview in the world”…’ said Dragons’ Den star Peter Jones.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

I attended a Royal Television Society dinner tonight in Cambridge, and was basking in the joy of everyone talking about my Ronaldo interview, when my phone began ringing silently on the table.

I chuckled when I saw who it was.

‘Please excuse me,’ I announced to a group of TV big-wigs sitting around me, ‘it’s Cristiano…’

‘Piers, I just want to thank you for the interview,’ came the familiar voice. ‘It was great, and the reaction has been unbelievable. So many texts, and so much positivity on social media. You were right, it was the best ever Cristiano interview!’

‘Well, thank YOU,’ I replied. ‘This was a career highlight for me.’ And it really was.

They say you should never meet your heroes but Ronaldo was everything I’d hoped he would be, and more. ‘I hope we can remain friends,’ I texted him later.

‘Of course,’ he replied. ‘Friends for life.’

 

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