#3 Cristiano Ronaldo remains a big-game player
Despite not being in the best of form for much of this season, Cristiano Ronaldo’s career has decidedly taken a facelift under Zinedine Zidane – a much-admired figure in world football, and a manager who commands the respect of all players in his dressing room.
Zidane’s own quality of controlled aggression seems to have rubbed off well on the Portuguese, as he has fought his way back into the goals in the past 2 months despite the occasional bad performance.
Ronaldo has, however, stood up in big games this season – most importantly, against Dortmund in the Champions League, when he scored one and created the second goal for Real in the tough away fixture at Westfalenstadion.
He was visibly up for the derby, the bright lights and the pressure of playing in front of a baying crowd. His celebration for the second goal went viral on social media – a glance into his rather pointed sense of humour.
He grabbed a hat-trick – a penalty, a deflected free-kick and a neat finish from a fast break in the closing stages of the game. His superior fitness levels helped him beat the Atletico defence for pace before putting the ball in the net.
