Ronaldo deserves better than this

As Cristiano Ronaldo wheeled away - with Philip Lahm on all fours looking on - it was an odd celebration. Ronaldo held his finger close to his lips in a "shushing" motion.

He had just scored in the Santiago Bernabeu for Real Madrid in their epic Champions League quarterfinal victory over Bayern Munich, and Ronaldo was shushing his own fans.

Those fans had whistled him. Again. They had whistled when he had broken through in the first half only to drive a shot at Manuel Neuer's near post for the goalkeeper to save, rather than pick out Karim Benzema who was unmarked.

And they had whistled when Ronaldo took the ball off the toes of Toni Kroos as he shaped to shoot and made a mess of that attack.

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But by the end of the evening Ronaldo had scored a hat-trick to propel Real into the last four of the competition.

He had become the first player in the history of the Champions League to score 100 goals, he had scored 85 goals in 85 games for Real in the competition, he had scored the 46th hat-trick of his career and he had scored more goals than any other player, ever, at the Bernabeu.

Ronaldo has now struck 213 times at the famous stadium, three ahead of Alfredo di Stefano.

And yet they had whistled, which points to a strange kind of adulation from the Real fans towards Ronaldo, who has now also scored more than 30 goals a season for each of the eight campaigns he has played for the club since he moved from Manchester United in 2009.

"I never asked for a street to be named after me," Ronaldo said, pointedly, in a pitch-side interview immediately after the Bayern tie.

"I only ask that the fans don't whistle me because I always do my best, I work and help Real Madrid. I didn't tell them to be quiet - ever.

"I'll stick with the good things, the team were very good, we played very well," he said.

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The 32-year-old was clearly hurt, with coach Zinedine Zidane initially suggesting that such criticism goes with the territory when you are a player of Ronaldo's stature, before adding: "Ronaldo answers his critics on the pitch.

"He scored five goals over the two legs. There is nothing else to say."

Except it is, undeniably, odd. It would not happen to Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp or even Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford - and he has struggled far more than Ronaldo.

It is also not the first time this season that Ronaldo has been jeered by Real supporters. In late January there were more whistles and boos after he had misplaced some passes early in a 3-0 win at home to Real Sociedad.

Ronaldo later appeared to respond by mouthing an offensive phrase in the direction of the stands.

He then provided an assist and goal, with former Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas commenting: "If he scores two or three goals a game, that is just what he is supposed to do. It is madness. You must help him, have people around him, and the club who help to protect the players."

Maybe it goes with the territory at Real - the crowd turned on Casillas also - but the response to Ronaldo is extraordinary. Yes, he can be a preening peacock of a player but where would Real be without him?

Not, for sure, in the semifinals of the Champions League for a seventh successive season and aiming to become the first club to retain the trophy in its present format. - The Daily Telegraph