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Real Madrid's all-time top-scorer with 450 goals in just 438 appearances, Cristiano Ronaldo is a living testament to what hard work and determination can do for a person. A pure machine, masquerading as a football player, Ronaldo has taken his career from strength to strength and even at the ripe old age of 36, shows no signs of stopping.
Manchester United, Real Madrid, and now Juventus. What plans does Cristiano Ronaldo have for his future?
After leaving Real Madrid in the summer of 2018, Ronaldo moved to Italy in search of a fresh challenge. With the coveted European title eluding Juventus for a long time now, Cristiano's arrival in Turin was seen as the perfect match for both entities, on paper at least. However, not everything has gone according to the plan.
Cristiano Ronaldo has continued his scoring ways, bagging 101 goals in just 133 appearances for the Old Lady. Nevertheless, Juventus have struggled to make a mark in Europe, even with the inclusion of Mr. Champions League himself.
Adding his hefty €31m-a-year wages to the mix, rumors of a potential exit have started picking up considerable wind.
The mercurial forward has a gargantuan total of 674 goals to his name and remains one of the best strikers of the modern era, to date. If the monetary aspect of the deal can be taken care of, Cristiano Ronaldo's acquisition will prove to be more than fruitful for any team he joins in the future.
With 20 of the aforementioned strikes coming in crucial finals, here we take a look at 5 of the most impactful as well as astonishing goals of the lot:
#5 UEFA Champions League final against Juventus (2017)
Appearing in their second consecutive European final, Real Madrid faced Juventus as their ultimate hurdle in their 2017 Champions League campaign. With 20 minutes on the clock, Toni Kroos picked up the ball in his own half and initiated a counter without wasting any time.
An intricate to-and-fro passing routine followed, at the end of which, Dani Carvajal put in a cut back for Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese carved out a magnificent shot from just inside the box, slotting it past Gianluigi Buffon to give Real Madrid the lead.
Cristiano Ronaldo effectively collected another cross from Luka Modric later in the match to grab his second, accomplishing a thorough beat down of the Bianconeri. The Spanish giants eventually ran out victors, successfully defending their Champions League title, becoming the first European club to do so since the competition's rebranding in 1992.
For his heroics on the night in Cardiff, Cristiano Ronaldo was presented with the Man of the Match award.
#4 Supercopa de España against Barcelona (2012)
An acrobatic attempt by the Portuguese legend in the 2012 Spanish Super Cup tie is next on the list. With Barcelona coming into the second leg with a 3-2 advantage, Real Madrid needed something magical to overcome Tito Vilanova's rampant side.
Gonzalo Higuain provided Los Blancos with some early hope, opening the scoring in just 11 minutes. Eight minutes later, Khedira played a loose ball to Cristiano Ronaldo, who was marked by Gerard Pique at the time.
To everyone's amazement, the Real Madrid number 7 flicked the ball from the rear of his boot to send it flying ahead, yards away from the Spanish defender's reach. With just the goalkeeper to beat, Ronaldo finished off the move in great style, giving Los Merengues a 2-0 lead.
Despite Lionel Messi's breathtaking free-kick in the 45th minute, leveling the score on aggregate, Real Madrid went on to win the tie on away goals. Cristiano Ronaldo's astounding effort in front of goal was enough for the home side to seal a comprehensive win against their arch-nemesis, which is considered to be a victory in its own right.
#3 UEFA Champions League final against Chelsea (2008)
Prior to his record-shattering €94m move to Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo had already started making waves in England. In his most prolific season with Manchester United, the Portuguese legend found the back of the net a total of 42 times. He capped off the 2007/08 season in emphatic fashion.
The Red Devils met Chelsea in that year's Champions League final for the ultimate showdown. The two English teams had duked it out all season in the Premier League, with the Blues finishing in second place, just two points off United.
On 21 May 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo ensured with a towering header that Chelsea would have to settle for the consolation prize yet again.
His 26th-minute opener was the only goal scored in regulation time by a Manchester United player in that game. Even though Cristiano Ronaldo misfired from the spot in the eventual penalty shootout, the Reds went on to win the tournament.
This proved to be his first and only Champions League title with United before he moved to Real Madrid a year later in search of greatness.
#2 Copa del Rey final against Barcelona (2011)
Having arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu ahead of the 09/10 season, Cristiano Ronaldo had to wait a full two years before getting his hands on a title with Real Madrid. His mini trophy drought ended with a triumph against Barcelona in the 2011 Copa del Rey final, where Ronaldo proved to be the difference.
After 90 goal-less minutes, an additional period of 30 minutes was set in motion by the match official. In the 103rd minute, Angel Di Maria put in a delicate cross, soaring over the Barcelona defenders.
Cristiano Ronaldo rose to the occasion, quite literally in this instance, and headed the ball powerfully out of the reach of Victor Valdes and into the top corner of the net.
The Portuguese international's precisive strike turned out to be the winner, aiding Real Madrid to their only title of the season. However, after two years in the wilderness, Cristiano Ronaldo had finally tasted some silverware.
As the footballing world has witnessed, his hunger for accolades has only shown signs of exponential growth in subsequent seasons.
#1 Supercopa de España against Barcelona (2017)
The crown jewel of them all, Cristiano Ronaldo's goal against bitter rivals Barcelona in the 2017 Spanish Super Cup, was a perfect blend of unmatched skill and controversy: an ideal Ronaldo moment.
Doing what they do best, Real Madrid launched a quick counterattack as soon as the Catalans lost possession. With Barcelona's high line pitifully exposed, Isco launched a wide ball into Cristiano Ronaldo, who only had Gerard Pique to beat.
However, the Portuguese goal-machine made a slight cut inside from the corner of the box and hurled in an outrageous curler, drilling the ball straight into the top-right corner.
Even though that audacious finish was a cracker in its own being, Cristiano Ronaldo was not done yet. He celebrated by taking his shirt off, flexing his chiseled physique during the process.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner went a step further by showing off the back of his shirt to an enraged Camp Nou, a clear dig at Messi's celebration at the Santiago Bernabeu earlier that year.
Cristiano Ronaldo's 80th-minute strike broke the deadlock between the two teams as Real Madrid went onto win the tie 1-3 (5-1 over the course of two legs). A legendary rivalry indeed.
