Cristiano Ronaldo’s name will shine large in the history of football. The Portuguese further cemented his legacy on Saturday, when he scored two goals to help Real Madrid to a 4-1 Champions League final victory over Juventus.
It represents the fourth time he has won Europe’s greatest club prize, and the 32-year-old has now netted in three finals – an achievement bettered only by Alfredo Di Stefano, another legend of the Bernabeu.
Ronaldo is the leading scorer in European football of all time, having struck 103 goals, and given that he also reached the 600 mark for club and country by netting against Juve, what better way to celebrate the achievement of the game’s most iconic figure than by picking out his five best goals in the Champions League?
#5 Manchester United vs Roma (1/4/2008)
The most important header that Ronaldo scored for Manchester United came against Chelsea in the final of the 2008 Champions League, yet perhaps the best arrived little over a month earlier when he helped put Roma to the sword in the quarter-finals.
United had hammered the Italians 7-1 at home the previous season at the same stage and had finished above them in Group F, but with their opponents looking for revenge, Ronaldo helped silence the Stadio Olimpico with a breath-taking header. Not only was his leap to meet Paul Scholes’ cross prodigious and the power he generated on the ball awesome, his timing was immaculate – and it was this piece of simplicity that made the goal so brilliant.
#4 Manchester United vs Porto (15/4/2009)
Is there a better example of the raw shooting power of Ronaldo than this goal against Porto? It’s doubtful. Away from home in the quarter-final of the 2009-10 competition, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side found themselves under pressure against a side reckoned to be very capable of putting them out, particularly after a superb 2-2 draw at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo, however, had the perfect answer. Having gathered possession of the ball a full 35 yards from the opposing goal as United broke, he took one touch then sent a searing shot into the top corner. It was an audacious attempt, but it was struck with such ferocity, goalkeeper Helton had no chance.
#3 Manchester United vs Arsenal (5/5/2009)
One of the aspects of Ronaldo’s game that lifts him outside the norm is his power. While playing for Manchester United, he exemplified this in the second leg of the 2009 semi-final against Arsenal as he wrapped up the Red Devils’ place in the final with an outstanding effort late at the Emirates Stadium.
With the Gunners pushing for a goal that might see them through, Ronaldo set in motion a break from deep inside his own half with a clever flick. But he was not content there, spinning and sprinting, ears pinned back, 70 yards to get on the end of a pass and slide the ball into the net. Incredible.
#2 Real Madrid vs Marseille (30/9/2009)
Free kicks have always been something of a trademark for Ronaldo, and he has scored few better than this one against Marseille in September 2009. Few players would have the nerve to chance their luck from close to 40 yards out, but the Portuguese superstar, in his first season with the club, sent an outrageous effort over the four-man wall and plum into the top corner.
He had already scored twice on his Champions League debut for Madrid and would do so again in his second appearance, which was this outing in France.
#1 Real Madrid vs Galatasaray (17/9/2013)
Undoubtedly Ronaldo’s best individual strike, at least in terms of showcasing his footwork, came in the group stages of the 2013-14 Champions League. Madrid were already 5-1 up away from home against Galatasaray, but his unerring determination for perfection was evident as he rubbed salt into the Turkish side’s wounds late in this encounter.
There did not appear to be a great deal on when he received a pass from Karim Benzema on the left wing, yet the fact that he was double teamed did not deter the attacker from bursting into the box, slaloming past two challenges before evading a third and sending a fierce shot into the goal.
Gala had actually beaten Real 3-2 in the knockout stages a year earlier, albeit after losing the first leg 3-0, but they were blown out of the water in this clash, with Ronaldo’s goal underlining the difference in quality between the sides.
