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#2. Cristiano Ronaldo's presence
With 124 goals, five trophies and still counting, who could be more threatening in the Champions League than Cristiano Ronaldo? He has proven time and again across different leagues and clubs how deadly and hungry he is when it comes to this tournament.
He has singlehandedly lifted his team against oppositions on numerous occasions. He holds the record for most goals in the competition (124) and most goals in a single season with 17 goals in 2014 when Real Madrid claimed their tenth European triumph.
As seen against Atletico Madrid in the second round recently, Ronaldo pops up whenever his team is in a precarious situation; when his team needs a saviour and that is what he has done countless times in his career.
He scores vital and spectacular goals, breaks records, qualifies his teams and makes great defenders look amateur in the profession. Looking at the statistics, Ronaldo has scored more goals in the knockout stages of the competition than any other player in history. He is noted for his progressive rates of goals as the competition progresses.
When Massimiliano Allegri was asked why Ronaldo was signed, he aptly said, ‘ Ronaldo is a guy who delivers on big occasions.’ In his mind, no occasion is bigger than when Ronaldo scored the goal that eliminated Juventus from the competition last season with a sumptuous bicycle kick voted the best goal of the season.
A night like Atletico's still awaits them in the UCL and in Ronaldo, they have a player who has seen it all. Ajax may pose a great threat to their ultimate goal of the season in the quarterfinals but they are already prepared to overcome any storm in the Champions League with the Portuguese on their side.
