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Football at the highest level is a very demanding job. The beautiful game is one of the most popular sports in the world and fans of the game are spread out all across the globe. It would be fair to say that the entire world tunes in week in and week out to watch the top European clubs go about their business on the pitch.
The stakes are almost perpetually high. As a result, the players are subjected to an intense level of scrutiny on a regular basis. High-pressure situations are simply not for everyone. Some players crumble or 'choke' but there are some who relish battling adversity.
There are players who thrive when the world expects them to deliver big. Football's greatest heroes have always been the ones who defy the odds and do extraordinary things when backed into a corner.
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Without further ado, let's take a look at five players who always deliver under pressure.
#5 Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool)
When Mohamed Salah returned to Liverpool in 2017, nobody could have predicted how much of an impact the Egyptian international would go on to have at the club. Salah's entry helped transform Liverpool's attack into one of the most potent forces in Europe.
Salah has a knack for delivering in big games. The pacy forward getting injured and being sidelined during the 2017-18 Champions League final was a big blow for the Merseysiders. After Salah was forced off in the first half, it never looked like Liverpool could get a foot in.
But he came back and delivered the next year. Salah scored Liverpool's opener in the 2018-19 Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur.
In 2018, the Egyptian national team needed to win against Congo in order to qualify for the World Cup. They got a penalty in stoppage time and the stakes couldn't have been higher. Egypt would qualify for their first ever World Cup if the ball ended in the back of the net.
Mohamed Salah stepped up and delivered to take Egypt to the promised land.
#4 N'Golo Kante (France/Chelsea)
In the last six years, N'Golo Kante has won the World Cup, the Premier League (twice) and the Champions League. He has also been a standout performer for both club and country in those triumphs.
The diminutive defensive midfielder pocketed four back-to-back man-of-the-match awards for Chelsea in the Champions League last term. He was the best player in each game starting from the second leg of the quarter-final up until the final.
Kante's ability to deliver in high pressure situations has a lot to do with his discipline and hard work. He is there to do a job and he will put his nose to the grindstone and run himself to the ground if that's what his team needs.
Kante will do that every single game and as such, high-pressure scenarios don't faze him.
#3 Sergio Ramos (Spain/Paris Saint-Germain)
One of the greatest captains in the history of the UEFA Champions League, Sergio Ramos led the Real Madrid side to three back-to-back European titles from 2016-2018.
He was also a standout performer for Los Blancos in their famous La Decima triumph, scoring a stoppage time equalizer in the final. Despite being a defender, Ramos has scored two goals in Champions League finals.
Ramos has always displayed his warrior spirit and he is quite simply not the man who is going to be intimidated on a football pitch. In fact, he is the one who intimidates others.
Ramos' uncompromising displays have made him a divisive figure but there's no denying the fact that he's a serial winner and a champion footballer.
It is this exact quality that made Paris Saint-Germain want to give Ramos a lucrative contract this past summer despite him being 35-years-old.
#2 Lionel Messi (Argentina/Paris Saint-Germain)
Lionel Messi is one of the greatest footballers of all time. He has had an extremely successful club career and finally earned his first major international trophy this past summer. Messi was chosen as the player of the tournament as Argentina lifted the Copa America after a gap of 28 years.
He has scored in two Champions League finals and has time and again produced the goods for his side when they need him to do it the most. He has scored 49 goals and provided 12 assists in 73 Champions League knockout stage appearances as well.
Messi scored an incredible hat-trick against Ecuador in a must-win World Cup qualifier for Argentina in 2018.
He was also heavily criticized during the early stages of the 2018 World Cup. Argentina desperately needed to win against Nigeria in their final group game. He opened the scoring in that game for La Albiceleste and produced a match-winning performance.
These are just a few snippets from a career replete with moments like these. After all, one doesn't win a record six Ballons d'Or by doing the ordinary.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Manchester United)
Is there a better big game player than Cristiano Ronaldo? We don't think so. There are actual studies which show that Ronaldo doesn't seem to feel any sort of pressure. Whether it be late goals or comebacks or scoring in Champions League finals, Ronaldo seems to be taking it in his stride as if it's no hassle.
The Portuguese international was the top scorer in the Champions League in each of the four editions where Real Madrid emerged as champions. He is the player with the most number of goals in Champions League finals with four to his name.
Ronaldo has scored a whopping 67 goals and provided 15 assists in 83 Champions League knockout stage games. That's a goal contribution rate that's just short of one per game.
The 36-year-old's iconic 'Calma, Calma' celebration is a fair representation of how his team's fans should feel when he is on the pitch. Ronaldo thrives in high-pressure situations. On Wednesday night, he scored a last-minute equalizer for Manchester United against Villarreal when all hope seemed lost.
It's just the kind of thing that makes Ronaldo one of the greatest footballers of all time.
