Nine months have passed since we last saw packed football stadiums in Europe.Top-flight matches played out in front of empty stands, with fake crowd noise produced by broadcasters, has sadly become the norm over the course of 2020.Everybody hopes that it won’t be too much longer before Old Trafford, Camp Nou, Anfield, the Bernabeu and every other stadium in Europe - and indeed, the world - is full of supporters again once it’s safe to do so.But how do the players themselves feel about playing in front of no fans?Cristiano Ronaldo, regarded by some as the world’s greatest player and one of the best footballers of all time, spoke honestly on the matter at the Globe Soccer Awards on Sunday.“I have to be honest. For me, to play in an empty stadium, it’s boring,” the Portuguese legend conceded.“We respect the protocols - health is the most important thing, of course - but I don’t like it.“I do it because I love football. I play for my family, for my kids, for my friends, for the fans - but I don’t like it. It’s so weird to play without [fans].”Ronaldo admits that he even misses being booed by opposition fans.“I like it when the people boo Cristiano,” he added. “When I touch the ball they ‘boooo!’ - I like it.“When I go to other countries and they like other players more than me they do it: ‘Cristiano, boooo!’ I’m motivated by that.“I hope in 2021 they can change that rule and see the stadiums full of fans because there’s no passion without fans.”Watch the video in full here…

Ronaldo, speaking alongside Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski, was in Dubai for the awards ceremony.

The 35-year-old has won the Best Men’s Player of the Year award for the past four years running and was expected to win it for the fifth consecutive year this weekend.