Cristiano Ronaldo’s greatest ever moments
Cristiano Ronaldo has many records to his name, and in January this year, he broke another one. After scoring the opening goal in Juventus’ Supercoppa Italiana victory over Napoli, Ronaldo clocked up 760 strikes for club and country. No other footballer has ever achieved that feat. But besides Ronaldo’s record-setting achievements, he has delivered some of the most memorable moments the game has ever seen. Here is our selection of Ronaldo’s greatest moments.
The goals that secured Real Madrid’s victory in the Champions League final
One of the greatest performances of Ronaldo’s career came in the 2016-17 Champions League final between Juventus and Real Madrid. As you probably remember, Madrid were the defending champions, but after Juventus thrashed Barcelona in the quarter-finals, it was clear Madrid were going to have a challenge on their hands. Despite the club’s concerns, they demolished Juventus 4-1, with Ronaldo scoring two of the goals. His spectacular performance earned Ronaldo the title of Man of the Match.
The final of this year’s Champions League will be played at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium on 29 May. Juventus may not have managed to get past the round 16 this year, so Ronaldo will not be participating, but whichever teams reach the final, it is sure to be an exciting match. Check out all the latest Sports betting odds and news so you can predict whether the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Liverpool will reach the semis.
That infamous knuckleball free kick
Everyone knows Ronaldo is extremely skilful at free kicks, but he went above and beyond what any fan could have expected when he scored against Portsmouth in January 2008. He used the technique of knuckleball, which involved striking the ball so that it swerved and curled on an unpredictable path, making it virtually impossible to save, as Pompey’s goalkeeper David James found out. The look on James’ face said it all. He was baffled, and every onlooker was stunned.
A hat-trick never to be forgotten
In his debut season with Juventus, Ronaldo once again proved he was one of the greatest players on the planet. Having lost 2-0 to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, Juventus faced a mammoth task to reach the quarter-finals. But Ronaldo made a victory look easy. From the off, Atletico were effervescent, but in the 27th minute, Ronaldo nodded Bernardeschi’s cross past Jan Oblak to score the first goal of the match. Ronaldo then scored another goal only three minutes after half-time and the match ended with a score of 3-0 after El Bicho scored his third goal from the penalty spot.
Another unforgettable hat-trick
Before Real Madrid faced their old rivals Bayern Munich in a Champions League quarter-final match during the 2016-17 season, Bayern were the favourites to win. It looked as though Bayern could well be victorious when they left the pitch at half-time 1-0 ahead, but Ronaldo scored two goals in the second half before going into extra-time. Then, Ronaldo secured Madrid’s win with his third goal, with his hat-trick enabling Madrid to go on to the semi-finals.
Ronaldo’s first Ballon d'Or award
Ronaldo has won an incredible five Ballon d'Or awards, three of which were consecutive, but it was during 2008 when he was first awarded the Ballon d'Or, where Ronaldo really shined. With Man Utd, he scored 41 goals. To think only a few years earlier, people were saying Ronaldo needed to add goals to his otherwise excellent game. After 2008, he could not stop scoring! Ronaldo was only 23 years of age when he won his first Ballon d'Or award, and it secured his place as the greatest footballer on the planet.
