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The modern generation of footballers have seen a fair few stars, but Cristiano Ronaldo stands tall among the very best. The man from Madeira is often considered the best of this era, along with Lionel Messi. Over the years, Cristiano Ronaldo has created a glamorous repertoire, spread across some of the best clubs in Europe.
Cristiano Ronaldo's journey started in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon with Sporting Lisbon. Sir Alex Ferguson first spotted his potential and brought the teenage sensation to Old Trafford in 2003.
After winning all that was there to be won, Cristiano Ronaldo made his dream switch to join Real Madrid in 2009. After a decent Juventus period, Cristiano Ronaldo finally made the most romantic of comebacks to Manchester United, where it all started.
Cristiano Ronaldo has sometimes been let down by his team
Irrespective of how good Cristiano Ronaldo is on an individual level, football is ultimately a team sport. Unless there is cohesion and chemistry, even the most talented players can't win matches consistently. Over the years, Cristiano has been more often on the winning side than the losing ones. But even he was sometimes let down by the poor performances of his teammates.
#5 Juventus 1-2 Manchester United (November 8, 2018)
This match pit Cristiano Ronaldo against the club where he made it big. It was a Champions League group stage fixture. Both teams were trying to secure a win to push their qualification chances as toppers of the group. Given the mixed patch of form of Manchester United, it was a daunting task to take on Cristiano Ronaldo and co. in Turin.
Cristiano Ronaldo was having a poor evening and it was looking like a scruffy match. However, everything changed in the 65th minute when Cristiano Ronaldo broke the deadlock. He scored a magnificent volley which was so powerful that it rested in the back of the net.
It looked like Cristiano's goal would be enough to get Juventus all three points. However, the defense and goalkeeper were let down in the final 10 minutes as Wojciech Szczesny made a mess of a Juan Mata free-kick. This was followed by Leonardo Bonucci scoring an own goal, which ultimately gave Manchester United a surprise win.
#4 Young Boys 2-1 Manchester United (September 14, 2021)
It was Manchester United's opening match of the 2021 Champions League. In front of them lay Young Boys, and it was not supposed to be a big headache. Additionally, Manchester United had also acquired the services of Cristiano Ronaldo, who is popularly referred to as 'Mr. UCL' due to his exploits.
It was expected to be a cakewalk, and Manchester United began decisively. The English club went ahead courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo when the Portuguese struck in the 13th minute. It looked like a long night for Young Boys but became one for Manchester United instead.
Post the goal, Manchester United were terrible on the pitch. They saw Aaron Wan-Bissaka getting sent off in the 35th minute due to a poor challenge. In the second half, they decided to sit back and see the match that resulted in Young Boys getting their equalizer. While it seemed like Manchester United would manage to get a draw, Jesse Lingard did a harakiri. His poor backpass went straight to the opposition who scored their second goal. This led to the Young Boys collecting a shock win, but they thoroughly deserved it.
#3 Ukraine 2-1 Portugal (October 15, 2019)
Euro 2020 were coming up, and the qualification stages were in their penultimate stages. Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo were not yet guaranteed a spot, although the road looked easy. A trip to Ukraine awaited the then defending European champions. Ukraine, under the tutelage of legendary Andriy Shevchenko, was a dogged and disciplined unit. Still, Portugal had more than enough firepower to win the tie.
But football is never won on paper, and the match began in the worst way possible for Portugal. Ukraine took the lead from a corner in the 5th minute, which was an exhibition of terrible set-piece defending from Portugal. There was barely any service from midfield for the front men, including Bernardo Silva and Cristiano Ronaldo himself. Portugal struggled to find rhythm in the game and things soon went from bad to worse. Andriy Yarmolenko doubled Ukraine's lead in the 27th minute.
It was an uphill task from there, primarily due to the terrible overall play of Portugal. After 72 minutes of struggles, Cristiano Ronaldo did manage to reduce the deficit by one from the penalty spot. However, it was not enough, and Portugal got a setback in pursuing EURO qualifications.
#2 Hellas Verona 2-1 Juventus (February 9, 2020)
Juventus had a relatively poor spell under then-coach Maurizio Sarri, and some players played well below par. That was not the case with Cristiano Ronaldo, though.
He set a new record for a Juventus player when they met Hellas Verona on the road. Cristiano became the first Juventus player to score in 10 consecutive matches. Sadly, while it was a good match for Cristiano Ronaldo individually, the team let him down on his special day.
In the second half, Juventus took the lead in the 65th minute when Cristiano Ronaldo scored off a brilliant solo effort. From the kickoff, it was evident that Juventus were struggling, yet Cristiano Ronaldo almost broke the deadlock. Against a run of play, Cristiano hit a grounded curler that came back off the post.
However, Juventus once again lost the plot. Miralem Pjanic gave a shocking mixture of a pass and a tackle which went straight to Fabio Borini, who made no mistake in slotting home. What seemed like an easy win soon became a nightmare for Cristiano Ronaldo. Hellas Verona scored from an 86th-minute penalty to get a much-deserved win.
#1 Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Real Madrid (November 2, 2017)
Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur were part of the same group in the Champions League in 2017. The two clubs met each other twice in the same fortnight. It was a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu, and both teams wanted to win to secure qualification for the knockouts. Real Madrid were considered to be the favorites, but it was Tottenham who had the last laugh.
The match began terribly for Real when they trailed Tottenham at half-time by a solitary goal. It could have been a lot worse had Harry Kane managed to convert a great chance that had fallen to him. However, the match turned into a nightmare for Cristiano Ronaldo as Tottenham scored two more goals in the second half to win the game 3-1.
Cristiano Ronaldo did manage to reduce the margin by one goal when he hit the target in the 80th minute. However, it was a terrible midfield and defensive display from Real on the night. They could barely manage to create enough chances up the pitch, and defensively, Real were worse.
