5 world-class players humiliated by Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch

#3 Sergio Busquets

FC Barcelona v Granada CF - La Liga Santander

Sergio Busquets and Cristiano Ronaldo have squared off on numerous occasions. Busquets was a vital cog in the pivot for Barcelona and Spain. Despite being one of the best players in his position in modern football, Busquets struggled to contain Ronaldo at times.

While Ronaldo has outsmarted Busquets quite a few times, there have been a few moments where the Spanish midfielder has looked clueless. When Ronaldo used to don the number 9 jersey for Real Madrid, the Portuguese superstar nutmegged Busquets with ease.

The match was being played at the Santiago Bernabeu, and the skill drew massive applause from the crowd. Busquets was left embarrassed as he didn’t see the nutmeg coming. Ronaldo has also dribbled past Busquets while representing Portugal.

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#2 Ashley Cole

Cristiano Ronaldo has confessed that Ashley Cole was one of his hardest opponents

Ashley Cole is the greatest left-back in the Premier League era. The Englishman got the best of both worlds as he was a prominent player in the Arsenal invincible team and Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea side. Cole is now serving as first-team coach at Everton.

The former England international had plenty of intense match-ups with Cristiano Ronaldo on the flank. Although he was one of the few full-backs to keep Ronaldo in check, the Manchester United forward was able to beat Cole on a few occasions.

While playing for Arsenal, Cole was embarrassed by Ronaldo. The Portuguese icon was just 18 years old back then. He dribbled past Cole with ease, causing the Arsenal left-back to end up on his backside. It was a humiliating moment for a usually solid defender.

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#1 Gerard Pique

FC Barcelona v Granada CF - La Liga Santander

Gerard Pique has been one of the best centre-backs of his generation. The Spanish defender shared dressing rooms with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United. Once they were both in La Liga, their battle was always one to watch out for.

As Ronaldo played primarily as a left-winger and Pique as a right centre-back, they often encountered each other. Pique held his own against most forwards. However, Ronaldo’s pace and skill got the better of Pique more often than not.

The former Real Madrid talisman used a variety of skill moves to get past Pique, including step-overs, Ronaldo chops and simple ball flicks. As Pique could not keep up with Ronaldo’s insane speed, the Portuguese international dribbled past Pique like it was a piece of cake.