Cristiano Ronaldo reflected on a "perfect night" after his latest hat trick qualified Real Madrid for the Champions League semifinals with Wolfsburg beaten 3-0 at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on the night and 3-2 on aggregate.
Madrid came into the game 0-2 behind from the first leg hoping for another historic 'remontada' comeback at their home ground, and Ronaldo's quick double strike had the tie level on aggregate inside the first 17 minutes.
Wolfsburg reorganised and held out until the 77th minute when Ronaldo's 25-yard free kick went through the opposition wall and into the net -- taking his side into the competition's last four for the sixth successive season.
The 31-year-old told reporters in the Bernabeu mixed zone after the game that he was happy with how the team had stuck together and come through what had been a difficult situation.
"We were intense and we managed to go through. I said it would be a magic night," Ronaldo said. "I would like to stick with what the rest of the team have done, they played very well, and of course the fans who always support us. There are always special games in the Champions League. Today was a more intense game, more vibrant and that meant a perfect night."
Ronaldo's 37th career hat trick took him to 16 goals in the Champions League this season, one off his own competition record of 17, a few days after he became the first player in history to score 30 plus La Liga goals in six consecutive seasons.
"So many hat tricks is not bad is it?" Ronaldo said. "Goals are in my DNA. And I want to keep scoring them for the team. These things arrive naturally. I do not look for them. We will see what happens. I always give my all, people who know me know that. When you put the work in then things come for you. Every day I go to sleep relaxed as I work very hard and I am a professional."
Despite these figures Ronaldo has been criticised by some pundits for an up and down season, and also whistled by his own team's fans at the Bernabeu, leading to some reports that club president Florentino Perez might even look to sell the 31 year old in the summer.
"Considering this has been a 'bad' season for me it has not been that bad," he said. "People can criticise me but I just keep in going and the numbers are there for all to see. I am very happy and with a month left of the season I can get even better. It was one of my best European nights, not the best but one of my best."
The former Manchester United player suggested that he had grown used to being criticised by pundits in the Spanish capital.
"Bit by bit you are learning," Ronaldo said. "You say 'we criticise him but he keeps coming back.' I have been here seven years. I'm 31 so I'm used it."
With Madrid still with an outside chance of catching Barcelona in the La Liga title race, Ronaldo said Zinedine's Zidane team were now coming into form just when the season was coming to its decisive moments.
"Everything is possible," he said. "We were 12 points from the top a few weeks back now it's four points. Anything is possible. I loved Zidane as a player and I like the way he manages us."