Top 10 iconic moments of Cristiano Ronaldo’s career
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players to have graced the game. Despite turning 36 this year, Cristiano Ronaldo shows no signs of stopping any time soon as he continues to be the best player for his club and country.
During a stellar near two-decade career, the Portuguese ace has scored goals and won honors aplenty. To name a few, the 5-time Ballon d'Or winner is the all-time top scorer for Real Madrid and Portugal.
Strong in the air and two-footed, Cristiano Ronaldo loves to duel with the meanest of defenses and come up trumps, mesmerizing teammates, fans, critics and opponents alike.
On that note, let's have a look at ten of the most memorable moments of Cristiano Ronaldo's illustrious career.
#1 'That' screamer against Porto (2009)
Playing his sixth season in the Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo had tallied a meager 12 goals in 49 games heading into the 2008-09 quarter-final at Porto.
After the first leg in Manchester ended 2-2, Porto had the advantage in the second leg thanks to their two away goals at Old Trafford. However, Cristiano Ronaldo had other ideas.
In only the sixth minute of the game, Cristiano Ronaldo received the ball near the center of the pitch and let fly a 40-yard screamer that rested in the bottom corner of the Porto net.
The strike proved decisive as there were no more goals in the game and Manchester United advanced to the semi-finals with a 3-2 aggregate win.
Cristiano Ronaldo would later call it the 'best goal' he had scored at the time.
Of course, he has scored a lot of fabulous goals since then, but that Porto strike would remain something special.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the first player to score for two different winning teams in Champions League finals (2014)
Six years after scoring for Manchester United in their win over Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League final, Cristiano Ronaldo was at it again, this time for a different team.
In the first-ever all-Spanish Champions League final in Lisbon in 2014, Cristiano Ronaldo was one of three Real Madrid scorers after extra time as Los Blancos beat Atletico Madrid to win the much-awaited La Decima.
That strike made Cristiano Ronaldo the only player in Champions League history to score for two different winning teams in the final.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo becomes Real Madrid's all-time top-scorer (2015)
Barely six years after arriving at Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo scored against Levante in a 2015-16 La Liga game to overtake Raul (323) and become the club's all-time top scorer in all competitions.
During this period, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a staggering 50 goals in a season on five occasions; 61 goals in the 2014-15 campaign being his most prolific for the club.
By the time he left Real Madrid for Juventus in the summer of 2018, Cristiano Ronaldo had amassed a stunning 450 strikes in only 438 games, winning 16 titles along the way.
#4 Wins the European Championships with Portugal (2016)
Twelve years after missing out on the European Championships as a teenager, as Portugal were beaten by unfancied Greece at home in the final, Cristiano Ronaldo won the quadrennial competition by beating France in the 2016 Paris final.
Earlier in the tournament, Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty against Austria but scored a brace in a 3-3 draw with Hungary. He also netted in the 2-0 win over Wales in the semi-finals, while also providing an assist in the Round of 16 extra-time win over Croatia and the winning penalty against Poland.
In the biggest match of his international career, Cristiano Ronaldo lasted barely thirty minutes on the field, as a Dmitri Payet tackle injured his left knee. A tearful Ronaldo twice tried to rejoin the action with a heavily-strapped knee before hobbling off the field.
About an hour later, Cristiano Ronaldo cried for a third time on the night, this time shedding tears of joy, as Portugal sealed a nervy 1-0 extra-time win over France to become the newest European champions.