Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid’s fans heartbroken as he completed a shocking switch to Juventus last week. The Portuguese has had innumerable breath taking moments in a Madrid shirt, in honour of his number 7, we take a look at seven of the best-
7) World Record Transfer
Cristiano Ronaldo completed a world record £80 million move to the Los Blancos. He took the Bernabeu by storm and over 80,000 people were present at his unveiling, which till date remains the warmest welcome by a fanbase to their club.
6) Ronaldo returning and haunting Manchester United
Real Madrid drew Manchester United in the round of 16 of the Champions League in 2012/13. The Red Devils struck first on the night, however, Ronaldo scored a sensational header that tied the score 1-1 on the night.
In the second leg, Sir Alex Ferguson’s men drew first blood once again. Luka Modric scored a belter to level the score before Ronaldo delivered the killer blow. United were eliminated and Real through to the quarters.
5) Winning goal against Barcelona on route to La Liga
Ronaldo won his first of two league titles in Spain in 2011/12. The 33 year old scored a winner late on in the match at the Camp Nou. He did the famous ‘calma, calma’ celebration. Indeed, the celebration would not just silence the Barcelona fanbase but also their dreams of a La Liga title.
4) Third successive Champions League with Real Madrid
Ronaldo won a third Champions League in 2018 with Real Madrid. The Portuguese was instrumental in Real Madrid’s progress through every round. He scored a total of 15 goals, including three against Juventus. One of those will definitely go down among the Champions League’s greatest strikes. On an individual level, he has five- which keeps him level with Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Barcelona.
3) Overhead kick vs Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo scored one of his career’s greatest goals against a team that would be his future recruiter. On the 63rd minute of the quarter final clash between Real and Juve, Ronaldo scored the beautiful goal which led him to get a standing ovation from the Juventus faithful.
2) Leading Real Madrid to La Decima
Carlo Ancelotti was the manager under whom Real Madrid bought an end to their twelve year Champions League drought. In 2014, the Whites went on to lift La Decima in Lisbon following a great comeback. As he was in every season, Ronaldo proved to be crucial in the competition scoring a record 17 goals.
1) Fifth Ballon D’or
Ronaldo equalled arch rival Leo Messi in the Ballon D’or in 2017. It was his fifth. That came on the back of one of Real Madrid’s most successful seasons. The La Liga, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup were all won by the Whites. Talisman Ronaldo stood out and grabbed the Ballon D’or unanimously.
At the age of 33, Ronaldo is still making heads turn and is in line for another FIFAs ‘BEST title.
His stint with Juventus will go a long way in the ‘Greatest of all time’ debate, as if he is able to perform exceedingly well in Italy too, his biggest argument against Messi could be that he has performed in multiple leagues around Europe.
