Cristiano Ronaldo fails to deliver on "king" challenge to leave Rio Ferdinand red-faced

Rio Ferdinand has been left red-faced after dubbing Cristiano Ronaldo the ‘king’ of the Champions League, and has since been knocked out of the competition.

Manchester United lost 1-0 to Atletico Madrid at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, 2-1 on aggregate, in the Round of 16. Although their chances of lifting the coveted trophy were slim, it was the club's last chance of silverware this season and a solid run in the competition would have given fans something to shout about.

In years gone by, the Champions League has seen Ronaldo to best effect and the 36-year-old has an unbelievable record on the European stage. But his former team-mate Ferdinand may have jinxed it after the first leg.

Speaking to BT Sport after the 1-1 draw in Spain, the ex-England international said: “That's the problem, the inconsistency. Worrying about what Man Utd are going to turn up, what United team is going to come out in the first half compared to the second half, actually.

"I keep saying the same thing, Jeckel and Hyde performances with each half. They've got to find some consistency. This man here [Ronaldo]... In this competition, you cannot bet against him coming up trumps.

"He's the king of this competition in terms of goals and deciding big games. With him in the team in this competition, you're always in with a chance.” However, anyone who did bet against Ronaldo would certainly be in profit.

According to OptaJose, Ronaldo’s match against Atletico is only the third time that he has failed to register a shot on target in the Champions League. He previously failed to test the goalkeeper against Panathinaikos back in 2003 whilst playing for United then against Barcelona in 2011 whilst leading the line for Real Madrid.

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