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Cristiano Ronaldo has won three Ballon dâOr awardsMost people live their entire life in such a manner that they hardly leave any legacy behind for the world. They remain alive only within their circle and their name soon fades away into the maelstrom of time. Some others, however, live forever because of their deeds in this world.One such person was born on this day in 31 years ago: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. Without beating the bush any further, it can be easily claimed that without Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi would have enjoyed a free ride in the Ballon d'Or for almost a decade.In a career that has spanned over a decade, he has had some wonderful moments and here are some of them.
#1 Crying after losing the Euro final
One might think how this can be classified as a great moment, but this was the moment that was truly the beginning of his surge to the best player in the world. After losing the Euro 2004 final against a sturdy Greece side, Cristiano Ronaldo—then only 19 years old—burst into tears.
It was a moment that truly depicted his passion for the game and his will to win every game. He was shattered to the bones, his dream of winning a trophy with Portugal was crushed and he did what most would have done.
It is said that crying is a sign of weakness. However, it is not always true. Sometimes, it displays the sign of being alive—like in the case of a new-born baby—and the Real Madrid man showed just that at that very moment. Since that instant, he gradually matured to the point where he became the best player in the world for a certain point of time.
#2 Free-kick goal against Portsmouth
The Portuguese might be the worst free-kick taker in the world right now, but this wasn’t always the case. There was once a time when the former Manchester United player’s stance made the goalkeepers shiver with fear of what he could possibly unleash with that deadly right foot of his.
And David James was one of those poor souls who became the victim of his fury.
As Manchester United were leading against Portsmouth by a goal to nil, Cristiano Ronaldo lined up for a free-kick from 30 yards out and smashed it in with unstoppable force. As the ball neared James, it swerved, leaving him—and almost everyone else there—dumbfounded.
It was his greatest moment from a set-piece and still remains as that.
#3 Goal against Chelsea in Champions League final
One of the greatest moments for a player is to win the elite competition at European level. Against Chelsea in 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo did just that as Manchester United beat the London club in the final of the Champions League in 2008.
Leaving aside the dark moment of missing the penalty in the shoot-out, it was a great game for him. What made it even better and memorable was the fact that he scored the only goal of the game from the Red Devils’ end.
Even though Frank Lampard equalised just before the end of the half, Cristiano Ronaldo stood when it mattered the most by scoring one of the most important goals of his life.
#4 Winning header against Barcelona
Scoring against Barcelona while playing for Real Madrid alone in itself is a matter of great honour—something every Real Madrid player dreams of—and a super moment of his career. Scoring against Barcelona in the final of a competition, however, is something else entirely.
As Real Madrid were battling hard to overcome Barcelona—who had become somewhat unbeatable for the capital club—in the final of the Copa del Rey, di Mara flew in a beautiful cross from the left. It was a cross that was begging to be head in beautifully by someone.
And who better to power in a header than Cristiano Ronaldo?
The former Sporting starlet rose above all and almost floated in the air before gushing the ball in past the ‘keeper. It was the moment when all Madridistas around the world jumped out of their seats with blood rushing through their hearts at full speed before finding an inscrutable feeling of peace that comes from getting one over your eternal rivals.
#5 Calma! Calma!
If one asks a Real Madrid fan of a favourite moment relating to a player, most fans would answer Raul’s finger-to-lips celebration asking the Camp Nou to keep quiet as their most beloved. However, Cristiano Ronaldo added some competition here too.
As Madrid just lost their 1-0 lead to Barcelona in the 70th minute—thanks to a goal from Alexis Sanchez—one could have sensed the huge wave of disappointment among the Madridistas and the sheer joy of the Cules.
However, just 3 minutes later, Cristiano Ronaldo calmly slotted one in before pulling off his best celebration till date. As he ran towards the crowd, he gestured a ‘calm down’ signal—which could either be interpreted as asking the Cules to shut up or the Madrid fans to calm down for he is here or both.
In the end, it became his most iconic celebration, something he sometimes uses every now and then.
#6 Taking over from Raul
Raul was, and still remains, Madrid’s most iconic player. After graduating from the academy, he won numerous titles with the club and became a heartthrob of every Madridista. By the time he left the club, he had 741 games under his name and 323 goals that brought smiles all around the fan base.
When Cristiano Ronaldo started scoring like a freak of nature, many expected him to break Raul’s scoring record before he stops wearing the White—and against Levante last October, he did just that.
With a vicious strike from just outside the box, he scored against Levante to take his goals tally to 324 goals. The best part about this is that he did it in only 310 games for the Spanish giants—431 games less than the other Blancos legend.
#7 Siiii
By the time Lionel Messi hangs up his boots, he will be regarded as the greatest player to ever play the game — World Cup or no World Cup. The only man, the tales in the future will go, who stood up to his assault was Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese always provided a genuine threat to the Argentine’s throne—to the extent that he won it for two years in a row.
After being announced as the winner of the Ballon d’Or for his outstanding year of 2014, Cristiano Ronaldo made a strange noise at the acceptance speech. Later, it was confirmed that he made a ‘Siiii’ noise, which means ‘Yes’ in English.
The Portuguese later explained that he does it every time he scores or when the team wins and that it “is our team shout.”
But it was not before it went viral—making it his most eccentric moment.
MORE: 5 Cristiano Ronaldo records that won't be broken for a long time to come
