5 players who outperformed Cristiano Ronaldo on the grandest stages
Cristiano Ronaldo is well-recognized as a man for the big occasions. The Portuguese has produced some of the most decisive performances in the history of the game, stepping up to the grandest of stages and single-handedly destroying even the greatest teams on the continent.
His displays have shocked the likes of Spain at the 2018 World Cup, destroying the likes of Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus in the Champions League in recent years. Cristiano Ronaldo has been nothing short of a real nightmare for many teams.
However, it is worth noting that Cristiano Ronaldo has also found himself at the victim end of such spectacular performances - engineered by other legendary superstars in the game over the last couple of years. These players managed to steal the spotlight from the Portuguese by producing some unbelievable displays that will be remembered for long.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five players who managed to outperform Cristiano Ronaldo on the grandest stages. They are as follows:
#5 Luis Suarez: Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona (21-11-2015)
Those who watch the El Clasico know just how important it is for Real Madrid and Barcelona. Featuring great intensity, constant bust-ups and incredible skills on display as the biggest superstars lock horns at the most iconic stadiums on the continent - there's a reason why this fixture is regarded as the biggest in football.
Luis Suarez managed to outshine Cristiano Ronaldo in this great clash in November 2015 when Real Madrid hosted Barcelona for a La Liga game at the Santiago Bernabeu. Deployed in his natural center-forward role, the Uruguayan started troubling Los Blancos' defense immediately after kick-off.
It took him just 11 minutes to open the scoring with Neymar and Andres Iniesta adding to the Blaugrana's lead. While Keylor Navas managed to keep a rampant Suarez at bay with a number of spectacular saves, there was nothing he could do when the striker returned with a powerful right-footed shot in the 74th minute to make it 4-0.
#4 Lionel Messi: Barcelona 2-0 Manchester United (27-05-2009)
Cristiano Ronaldo managed to defend the UEFA Champions League title with Real Madrid for the first time in history in 2017 - but he could have done that eight years earlier if not for a certain man named Lionel Messi and his unstoppable Barcelona side.
Still at Manchester United, the Portuguese won his first European crown in 2008 and was close to making it two in a row as the Reds Devils appeared in the final of the tournament once again in 2009.
However, Lionel Messi proved to be a huge tormentor that night and barely gave the Premier League giants any breathing space. Samuel Eto'o put the Blaugrana ahead within 10 minutes before Messi (5 ft 7in) came back to score one of the most mysterious goals ever in the 70th minute - beating Rio Ferdinand (6 ft 2in) to score a towering header that killed United's hopes.