Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo displays his Best Player UEFA 2014 Award during the draw ceremony for the 2014/2015 Champions League soccer competition at Monaco's Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo August 28, 2014.
Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo displays his Best Player UEFA 2014 Award during the draw ceremony for the 2014/2015 Champions League soccer competition at Monaco's Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo August 28, 2014. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

Cristiano Ronaldo is relishing on going back to Anfield and play Liverpool for the first time as a Real Madrid man, after both clubs have been drawn in the same group in the Champions League.

The Los Blancos received a thrashing in 2009 during the round-of-16, wherein the Reds won the second leg 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu to advance to the quarter-finals with a 5-0 victory on aggregate.

"I know what happened the last time Real played Liverpool, but I was not there then," said the 2014 UEFA Best Player in Europe award recipient.

"Now it's different. Every game has a different story. We are a different team, with a different coach."

"Liverpool are different too, so let's see who's going to be the best."

"But it will be nice for me to face Liverpool. I've never played there since I came to Real Madrid."

"For me, knowing it's going to be the first time, I'm looking forward to it. I know Anfield. But we are Real Madrid."

Ronaldo acknowledged that the Merseysiders have come a long way since suffering a tumultuous period that kept them out of Europe's top-tier competition.

"Liverpool are a fantastic team," he added.

"They came very close last year to winning the Premier League so we know it's going to be a very tough game at Anfield."

"Of course I know that it's a very difficult place to go, although I won there a few times with United."

For more football news, follow IBTimes Sport on Twitter.

RELATED STORIES