Cristiano Ronaldo sent a text message to Rio Ferdinand which encapsulates his unwavering self-belief after he scored an astonishing 95th-minute winner in the Champions League.
Ronaldo, 36, fired Manchester United to a 2-1 victory over Villarreal after Paco Alcacer put the Spanish club ahead and Alex Telles equalised with a sublime volley.
The Portugal captain had a quiet game at the tip of the Red Devils attack but produced yet another memorable goal on the European stage deep into added time.
Ronaldo combined with Jesse Lingard in the penalty area and rifled past Geronimo Rulli from a tight angle to send Old Trafford wild.
His latest moment of magic marked his 12th Champions League goal in the 90th minute or later, pulling him further clear of closest rival Lionel Messi on six.
Ronaldo then texted former teammate Ferdinand after the full-time whistle, admitting he had not had a good game but insisting he always knew he would be on the scoresheet.
"He (Ronaldo) text me tonight saying 'I didn't' play well but I knew I'd score,'" Ferdinand told BT Sport . "That's the belief that he has."
Ferdinand spent six seasons playing alongside Ronaldo, so he knows all about the "galvanising" impact the five-time Ballon d'Or winner can have on those around him.
"The other players are feeding off it. It's a great place to be," said the former centre-back of Ronaldo's infectious self-confidence.
"United's performance today wasn't great, it wasn't at the level Ole (Gunnar Solskjaer) wants it to be. But when you need a goal, a moment to galvanise the squad, the stadium, the fanbase, Cristiano Ronaldo steps up.
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"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."
Ronaldo's winner gets United's Champions League campaign up and running after they were defeated 2-1 by Young Boys in their opening game.
It also relieves the pressure on Solskjaer, who had led the Red Devils to three defeats in their previous four games prior to the visit of Villarreal.
