Ronaldo has won the Champions League a record five times, four with Real Madrid and once with Manchester United. Juventus would be hoping that he could replicate similar success for the Old Lady as well.
Here, we take a look at Ronaldo’s top five performances in the UEFA Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s best performances in the UEFA Champions League
#5 Real Madrid C.F vs Bayern Munich, 2016-17 UEFA Champions League, Quarter-finals - 2nd Leg
Result: Real Madrid C.F 4-2 Bayern Munich
Although a controversial game, this was an inspiring performance by Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored a hat-trick in the second leg of the tie to book a slot for Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
Ronaldo headed one in the 76th minute to nullify Robert Lewandowski’s goal early in the second half, taking the game to extra-time.
The Portuguese talisman scored two more goals in extra-time to complete his perfect hat-trick.
#4 Juventus vs Real Madrid C.F, 2017-18 UEFA Champions League, Quarter-Finals - 2nd Leg
Result: Juventus 0-3 Real Madrid C.F
This game had Cristiano Ronaldo written all over it. Real Madrid made their intentions known early in the game as Ronaldo scored a goal after receiving a low lying cross from Isco.
Just when Juventus looked like they were going to redeem themselves, Ronaldo struck again in the 64th minute, this time with an overhead kick that sent the whole stadium into a frenzy. Such was the finish that Gianluigi Buffon just stood there in awe.
To complete a dominant performance, Isco, Marcelo and Ronaldo combined well for Real Madrid’s third goal of the night, with Marcelo chipping one over Buffon to make it 3-0 for the night.
#2 Real Madrid C.F v Atletico Madrid, 2016-17 UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals -1st Leg
Result: Real Madrid C.F 3-0 Atletico Madrid
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in his second straight UEFA Champions League game as Real Madrid thrashed their neighbors Atletico Madrid 3-0 at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid exercised their control on the game early on, with their high intensity. They were soon rewarded for their efforts as Ronaldo headed one in the 10th minute of the game after receiving a floated pass from Casemiro.
Ronaldo doubled his side’s advantage in the 73rd minute to break the resilience of the Rojiblancos as he slammed in a half-volley past Jan Oblak.
The former Manchester United man then capped off a beautiful move as he made it three goals following a deadly counter-attack. Lucas Vazquez brilliantly found the Portuguese ace, who managed to send Oblak the wrong way to score his third goal of the night.
#2 Juventus vs Atletico Madrid, 2018-19 UEFA Champions League, Round of 16- 2nd leg
Result: Juventus 3-0 Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid thrashed Juventus by two goals to nil in the first leg of their Champions League tie last year. The Bianconeri looked all set to crash out of the competition in the Round of 16, but Cristiano Ronaldo had different plans. The Portuguese talisman turned the tie around on his own to ensure Juventus qualified to the next round.
Ronaldo headed one in after towering over Juanfran in the 27th minute. He then scored another header in the opening minutes of the second half to level the scores on aggregate.
The game looked all set for an additional thirty minutes, but Juventus won a penalty in the dying minutes of the game. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner made no mistake from the spot as his hat-trick sent the Bianconeri into the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
#1 Real Madrid C.F vs Wolfsburg, 2015-16 UEFA Champions League, Quarter-finals- 2nd leg
Result: Real Madrid C.F 3-0 Wolfsburg
Real Madrid lost the first leg of their fixture against Wolfsburg 2-0. The players as well as the manager were subsequently scrutinized by the media for their abysmal display.
Wolfsburg came into the match with a healthy lead in hand but Real Madrid resonated a comeback with a solid display, thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese struck one after Dante and Naldo failed to deal with a low-lying cross from Dani Carvajal. 90 seconds later, he headed in a corner by Toni Kroos to level the score on aggregate for Los Blancos.
Ronaldo completed his hat-trick late into the second half as he scored a free-kick to turn the tie. His phenomenal performance earned him a standing ovation from the Bernabeu faithful.
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