5 amazing performances that prove Cristiano Ronaldo should have won the FIFA Men's Player Of The Year award

#2 Portugal 3-3 Spain (June 15, 2018)

Portugal v Spain: Group B - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia — His fantastic hat-trick against Spain was one of the finest individual performances in the FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest stage in football and Cristiano Ronaldo proved to us that he is still the biggest player on the planet with his electrifying performance for Portugal during their opening fixture against Spain in Russia.

It took the attacker just 4 minutes to open the scoring, beating Spain goalkeeper David De Gea with a fantastic strike from the spot after he had won a penalty with a quick stepover in the box that caught Nacho - whose clumsy lunge clipped him. He added another one after Diego Costa had canceled the earlier to give Portugal a deserved lead into the break.

Goals from Nacho and Diego Costa put the Portuguese behind after the restart but Ronaldo would later decide the fate of the game, sending a beautiful free-kick straight into the net to earn a brilliant 3-3 draw for his nation as well as concluding a fantastic World Cup classic that will be remembered for years to come.

About the author

Jidonu is a European and international football news writer at Sportskeeda. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and has around 7 years of previous experience working with the likes of Tribuna and SportRaba, Jidonu has a good eye for detail and has the ability to created cohesive articles, and reporting exploits have also led him to exclusively cover the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the past.

Jidonu’s tryst with football started after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, being mesmerized by Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Barcelona philosophy and approach towards the game under Pep Guardiola further fueled the burgeoning love for the sport, and he has been a Culer ever since.

Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi is his favorite player and is the one true GOAT for him over Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final, where Messi's brace led to La Albiceleste lifting the cup left a lasting impact on him. His love for Messi also sees him follow Major League Soccer apart from Europe’s top five leagues.

In his free time, Jidonu raps and produces music, and also enjoys reading and swimming.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith