Cristiano Ronaldo gave a perfect example of his ridiculous self-belief with a 4-word text after his latest Champions League heroics

• Cristiano Ronaldo scored a last-minute winner against Villarreal in the Champions League on Wednesday.
• After the match, he text a former teammate to say: "I knew I'd score."
• Ronaldo became the competition's record appearance maker on the night, surpassing Iker Casillas.

Cristiano Ronaldo gave a glimpse into his preternatural self-belief on Wednesday after steering Manchester United to a dramatic late win in the Champions League.

After scoring a 95th minute winner, Ronaldo texted one-time teammate Rio Ferdinand to say: "I knew I'd score."

The 36-year-old scored as Manchester United came from behind to secure victory in its second Group F match.

Paco Alcacer had opened the scoring for the Spanish side, before defender Alex Telles struck a beautiful volley to level.

Ronaldo then prodded home in injury time to complete the turnaround and hand Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side its first win in the competition this season.

After the match, BT Sport pundit and the former United defender Rio Ferdinand, who played alongside Ronaldo at Old Trafford between 2003 and 2009, revealed the Portuguese forward had sent him a text.

"[Ronaldo] text me tonight saying, ''I didn't' play well but I knew I'd score,'" Ferdinand said.

"That's the belief that he has. The other players are feeding off it. It's a great place to be.

"United's performance today wasn't great, it wasn't at the level Ole wants it to be. But when you need a goal, a moment to galvanize the squad, the stadium, the fanbase, Cristiano Ronaldo steps up.

"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."

Ronaldo's goal against Villarreal was his 136th in the Champions League - further extending his lead as the competition's all-time top scorer.

The match was also his 178th appearance in the tournament, which saw him overtake Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas to become its record appearance maker.