Rio Ferdinand reveals what Cristiano Ronaldo texted him after netting late Man Utd winner

It was not stellar, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side continues to bring the late drama. 

Three out of Manchester United’s last four matches have all been decided in added time, whether it was West Ham United’s crucial penalty miss in the Premier League, or even Bruno Fernandes’ skied spot-kick in the recent 1-0 home defeat to Aston Villa.

And the Red Devils’ 2-1 home victory against Villarreal was a classic Manchester United match under the lights.

The Reds fell behind to Paco Alcacer’s early goal in the second half, but Alex Telles glorious volley dragged United level.

As the minutes ticked down into added time, a frustrating draw appeared to be on the horizon, only for Cristiano Ronaldo to pop up with another dramatic late winner.

And the Portuguese superstar always believed he would net the winner, according to former team mate and United legend Rio Ferdinand.

Rio Ferdinand received the text message soon after Cristiano Ronaldo netter the winner for Manchester United against Villarreal

“He (Ronaldo) text me tonight saying ”I didn’t’ play well but I knew I’d score,” Ferdinand said on BT Sports coverage of the match (cited by the Express).

“That’s the belief that he has. The other players are feeding off it. It’s a great place to be.

“United’s performance today wasn’t great, it wasn’t at the level Ole wants it to be. But when you need a goal, a moment to galvanise the squad, the stadium, the fanbase, Cristiano Ronaldo steps up.

Ferdinand was not blown away by the performance of United, but he further highlighted the benefits of having a player of Ronaldo’s calibre within the ranks.

“He wants to be that guy the chance falls to. His goal record says it all. He’s there for the big moments. He’s a big part of that too.

“When you have a player like Cristiano Ronaldo, the players in the dressing room are given life. There’s a lease of life, belief, because they know if the chance comes, he will put them away.

“It gives you that ability to be relaxed. It was the biggest thing in our team. When you get under even more pressure and you can see the clock ticking, you don’t panic. We were very composed because we believed the chances would come.

United face a difficult home match against in form Everton in the next Premier League weekend.