Top 10 iconic moments of Cristiano Ronaldo’s career

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Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo

#5 Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the first player to score 100 Champions League goals (2017)

Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo

After a slow start in the Champions League - Cristiano Ronaldo took 27 games to open his account in the competition - the Portuguese ace picked up the pace, especially after joining Real Madrid.

Cristiano Ronaldo produced a staggering seven consecutive campaigns of at least ten Champions League goals, the sixth of which made him the first player to breach the 100-goal mark in competition history.

The then-Real Madrid striker arrived at the landmark after completing a hat-trick against Bayern Munich in the 2016-17 quarter-finals. Los Blancos went on to become the first team in the Champions League era to successfully defend their title.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored another hat-trick, against Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals before netting a brace against Juventus - his current club - in the final to win his fourth title in the competition.


#6 'That' goal against Juventus (2018)

Cristiano Ronaldo (air borne) scored a stunner at Juventus; months later, he would join the club.
Cristiano Ronaldo (air borne) scored a stunner at Juventus; months later, he would join the club.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored arguably one of the best goals in the competition's history in the first leg of Real Madrid's Champions League quarter-final against Juventus.

Meeting a cross from the right with the cleanest of contacts, Cristiano Ronaldo leapt up an incredible one-and-a-half feet in the air before rocketing a sumptuous overhead volley past Gianluigi Buffon.

The goal, which showcased the finest of Cristiano Ronaldo's athleticism and aerial prowess, endeared the Juventus faithful so much that they accorded the Portuguese a rare standing ovation.

Interestingly, Cristiano Ronaldo was once adjudged to have a better vertical leap (78cm) than an average NBA basketball player (71cm).

Real Madrid ran out 3-0 victors on the night before a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty in the second leg helped the Blancos see out the tie 4-3 on aggregate.


#7 First player to win five Champions League titles (2018)

Cristiano Ronaldo rejoices after winning his fifth Champions League title.
Cristiano Ronaldo rejoices after winning his fifth Champions League title.

Arguably enjoying his greatest Champions League season in 2017-18, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in all six group-stage games in that edition of the competition.

Far from being done, he continued his scoring streak to four more games, scoring in both legs of Real Madrid's Round of 16 and quarter-final wins. The last of those strikes came against Juventus, whom he would join later that summer.

Although Cristiano Ronaldo failed to add to his staggering 15-goal tally by drawing blanks in the semi-finals and the final, the then 33-year-old created more history in the competition.

With Real Madrid beating Liverpool 3-1 in the final, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to win five Champions League titles since the competition's inception in 1992.

That game, incidentally, happened to be his last in Real Madrid colors as Cristiano Ronaldo left Spain to join Italian giants Juventus a few weeks later.

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