Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal celebrates with the trophy after Real Madrid beat FC Barcelona 1-0 during the final of the Copa del Rey soccer match at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Spain Wednesday April 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz) (AP2011)
Cristiano Ronaldo was jeered loudly and often by Dinamo Zagreb fans during Real Madrid's 1-0 win in its Champions League opener on Wednesday.
But the soccer superstar doesn't take the boos to heart. In fact, the Real Madrid forward chalks it up to envy.
''I think I am whistled at because I am handsome, rich and a great player and people are jealous of me,'' he said after the game.
What concerned him far more was the rough play he was subjected to by the Dinamo Zagreb players on the pitch, and the referee's seeming tolerance of the treatment.
Ronaldo criticized the referee for not booking Dinamo's Jerko Leko for a tackle that left him with a bloody ankle.
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''They are supposed to protect the talented players, but they do not protect me," he said.
"I don't understand anything," he added. "Some players can't be touched while I receive a beating.''
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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