Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest football players of all time and has had one of the most successful careers in the history of football.
His career has seen him move through the ranks from being a promising player at Lisbon to moving to Real Madrid, Manchester United, and excelling at his national team, Portugal.
Ronaldo’s career truly began in 2003 when he joined Manchester United and since then, his career has only soared. Since then, he has won five Ballon d’Or awards, five UEFA Champions Leagues, four FIFA Club World Cups and scored over 700 career goals.
Although the football legend has many high points of his career, there are some that are truly awe-worthy and stand out above the rest.
To celebrate the 35th birthday of the football sensation, Cristiano Ronaldo, we have compiled a list of his top ten career moments. Check them out below:
1. Winning his first FA cup trophy with Manchester United
Although he would go on to win many trophies including the Champions League cup, among others, his first FA cup trophy, earned after he scored a free kick in a 3-0 win for Manchester United remains the brightest.
At 18, Ronaldo impressed then Manchester United coach, Sir Alex Ferguson during a friendly between Sporting Lisbon and Manchester United.
After that, Ronaldo was signed to the Red Devils for £12.24 million, to become the first Portuguese player to ever play for Manchester United. He was also the most expensive teenage signing in football at the time.
Manchester United did not have the best of seasons in the years before Ronaldo joined them, but after he joined the Red Devils, they managed to snag the FA cup with his assistance, and that is why this made it to our list.
2. Ronaldo’s stellar 2007/2008 season
This was the season when Ronaldo turned 23 and won his first Balon d’Or award.
Obviously, the season was among the best and is one of the highlights of his career owing to the fact that he scored 42 goals that season to become the top scorer in both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
Through his stunning performances on the pitch, Ronaldo led the Red Devils to their second consecutive Premier League title and a Champions League title, which marked his first European trophy.
3. Joining Real Madrid in 2009
After attaining a high level of success at Manchester United, Ronaldo took a bow and decided to join Real Madrid in 2009.
He was sold for £80 million, which was a world record price for a football player. He would go on to attain great heights at the club and in Europe in particular.
He also broke a record at Madrid, scoring an undefeated 450 goals in 438 games. His joining Real Madrid also put him in close proximity with Messi and together they took the game of football to new heights.
4. Ronaldo’s performances in the later stages of the 2016/2017 Champions League
Real Madrid’s successful title defence in the 2017 Champions League was made possible by Cristiano Ronaldo in the most dramatic way.
Although he had a slow start in the season, scoring only two goals, he came back in the quarterfinals of the competition, scoring 10 goals from the quarterfinals to the finals.
He scored five goals against Bayern Munich, three goals against Atletico Madrid, and two goals against Juventus in the final. His performance broke a number of records including his back to back hat tricks, most goals scored in a final overall, and most goals scored in the knockout stage in a single season.
The figures are amazing, but considering the fact that he did this against some of the biggest clubs in the world and one one of the most elite stages, it’s easy to see that Ronaldo’s football ability is stellar.
5. Winning the European championship with Portugal
Until he won the European Championship with his national team, Portugal, Ronaldo and Messi had failed to replicate their football genius on the international stage.
This was something that Ronaldo worried about, as he later said to his teammates after winning the European Championship.
All of this would be brought to an end in 2016 as Ronaldo captained the Portuguese team to win his first-ever International trophy. His team managed to get one over France by winning 1-0 and cinching the cup.
He did finish the game, however, due to a bad tackle by Dmitri Payet, but he was excited nonetheless as the outcome.
6. Joining Juventus in 2018
On 10 July 2018, Cristiano Ronaldo signed a four-year deal with Juventus in a £100 million deal which was the highest that an Italian club had ever paid for a player before.
Having played in several leagues during his career, Ronaldo expressed his excitement at playing in the Italian Serie A league, which has been described as one of the hardest.
Like everything else that Ronaldo does, however, he has proved that he is up to the task.
During his time at Juventus, he helped the Italian side win their eighth Serie A title becoming the first player to win league titles in England, Spain and Italy.
He also won the inaugural Serie A award for Most Valuable Player.
In the 2019/2020 season, however, he has been on fire, and fans are constantly surprised by his continued level of skill especially for a 35-year-old.
What is maybe the most awe-inspiring thing Ronaldo has done so far this season is his leap to a stunning height of 8.39 feet to score the winning goal in a 2-1 away win against Sampdoria.
Conclusion
Ronaldo has definitely enjoyed a stunning career and while many are speculating that he may retire after his 4-year deal with Juventus is over, it is highly unlikely as Ronaldo loves the game of football.
Fans are looking forward to more of his exploits, especially as he has shown this season that he is ready to win it all.
From all of us at Sidomex Universal, we’re saying happy birthday to Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest ever in the game of football.
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