 |
|
March 20, 2024
With so many spectacular performances delivered in the Champions League stages, it's almost an impossible mission to highlight the seven best games from Cristiano Ronaldo in this competition. We've done our best though, so please feel free to share your opinion below as well...
The list of Cristiano Ronaldo's career achievements has been nothing short of incredible. There are the five, yes five, Ballon d'Or awards, seven league titles gained with three of the biggest clubs in Europe, as well as the Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023. But the one competition where he has truly shone has been in the UEFA Champions League, winning it 5 times overall and many incredible performances along the way. His former team, Real Madrid, are among the favourites in the Champions League odds this year but there is no doubt that they have felt his absence since he left. There have been so many pivotal performances that it's hard to pick out the very best of them, but here are seven to appreciate...
Cristiano Ronaldo - Mr. Champions League:
It wasn't until he was in his fourth season at Old Trafford that Ronaldo scored in an elimination round of the Champions League. But when he opened his account he did it in considerable style.
Going into the second leg of the quarterfinal 2-1 down against Roma, United were under pressure. Cometh the hour, cometh the team with a stunning 7-1 victory, and an 8-3 final aggregate score. Ronaldo was responsible for two of those goals. And, although United lost to Milan in the semifinal, he’d made his mark on the tournament.
The next season United made it through to the final against Chelsea, held in Moscow. Over the campaign he scored 8 goals in all with one of the finest being a skilful free kick against the club where he started his career, Sporting CP.
His 42nd goal of the season for the club was a header that made the final scoreline 1-1. The game went to penalties with United winning 6-5. Ronaldo missed his, but the fact that he was the only goal scorer in normal time meant that this was easily overlooked.
Two goals in the second leg against Premier League rivals Arsenal saw United progress to the 2009 final, winning 4-1 on aggregate. His first goal was a trademark free kick which he really had no right to score so outrageous was the skill involved. The second was a charge virtually from his own penalty area the whole length of the pitch, followed by a clinical finish.
They went on to meet Barcelona in the final but, outclassed on the night and, in line with the Champions League odds for the match, were beaten 2-0.
It took several seasons after his 2010 move to Real Madrid to see them to the final. But when they reached it the stakes couldn't have been higher. This was the chance to achieve the fabled Decima – a 10th title in Europe. It was a hard-fought match that was still undecided deep into extra time. A penalty was awarded in the 120th minute, Ronaldo stepped up and scored his 17th goal of the championship that season – and became a true hero of Madrid.
On their way to winning the Champions League again in 2017 the quarterfinal saw Real up against Bayern Munich. Over the course of the two legs and the 6-3 aggregate victory Ronaldo was responsible for five of those goals. But the real headlines came in the first leg when he scored his 100th goal in the competition, the first player ever to achieve this, defying the Champions League odds of this ever happening.
But Ronaldo wasn’t done with the tournament yet. In the next round having almost single-handedly finished off Bayern he turned his skills on Atletico Madrid. The first leg saw him score a stunning hat-trick on the way to a 4-2 victory on aggregate. The final against Juventus saw him score twice more on the way to a 4-1 victory helping Real to become the first club to retain the title since 1922.
In the 2017/18 campaign Ronaldo was well on his way to the fifth and final championship win of his career. It was also the season that he scored one of the most iconic goals of his career. Ironically, it was against the team that he was to move on to next season in a 100 million euro transfer deal. As if we need reminding, it was an athletic bicycle kick and demonstrated the real showman in Ronaldo. He scored again, with a more conventional style, to see the team through to a semifinal meeting with Bayern on the way to a 3-1 victory in the final against Liverpool.
So there you have them. Seven stunning Ronaldo moments from the Champions League – all of them destined to stay in fans' memories forever.
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Portugal is on March 21, against Sweden. You can watch Portugal vs Sweden, Italy vs Venezuela, Spain vs Colombia, England vs Brazil, Argentina vs El Salvador and Netherlands vs Scotland, all matches provided from our streaming soccer game pages.
Portugal next game:
Portugal vs Sweden kick-off time (21-03-2023):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+7: 02:45
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+4.30: 00:15
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) | UTC/GMT+2: 21:45
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:45
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+0: 19:45
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 16:45
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 15:45
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 12:45
Sources: ronaldo7.net / marca.com / fourfourtwo.com
