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Cristiano Ronaldo is a champion footballer, and he proves it time and again with his special performances. The Portuguese has had a long career across some great clubs like Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus. However, he is 37 years old now and it has seemingly affected his performances of late.
Cristiano Ronaldo rolls back the years against Tottenham Hotspur
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur on March 12 in the Premier League at Old Trafford. He was the differentiator in the match as Manchester United won 3-2 and secured three important points. This was his first hat-trick in Manchester United colors since 2008.
On that note, let's take a look at five of Ronaldo's hat-tricks for club and country that embody his greatness.
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#5 Portugal 3-3 Spain, 2018
The FIFA World Cup 2018 pitted Portugal and Spain in the same group, setting up a mouthwatering clash. On paper, Spain were ahead, but one can never rule out a side when they have someone like Ronaldo among their ranks. When the 90 minutes were over, the greatness of the Portuguese magician was proven once again.
It took him just four minutes to open his account at the Fisht Stadium in Russia. Spain equalized with Diego Costa, but a David de Gea howler allowed Ronaldo to score his second of the night and send Portugal ahead 2-1.
Things changed rapidly in the second half as Spain equalized through Costa and then took the lead through Nacho Hernandez. The scoreline read 3-2 in favor of Spain, and it was in the 88th minute when Portugal received a free-kick. It was a postage-stamp finish as Ronaldo scored a memorable World Cup hat-trick to help his country save the match.
#4 Real Madrid 6-0 Espanyol, 2015
Real Madrid bought the Portuguese forward from Manchester United for a then-world-record fee of £80 million in 2009. He repaid every cent spent on him over many special performances during his stay at the club. One such performance was in a La Liga match against Espanyol in the 2015-16 season. Naturally, Real were the comfortable favorites, but the Portuguese had a special achievement to mark the occasion.
He scored a memorable hat-trick, but that wasn't his only achievement that night. Out of the six goals Madrid scored that night, the Portuguese had direct participation in all of them. He scored five of the six goals before and set up Karim Benzema for another. It took him just 20 minutes to complete a hat-trick in the first half.
Back then, he was on an eight-match goalless streak for club and country before scoring five goals in one match.
#3 Real Madrid 4-2 Bayern Munich, 2017
Real Madrid headed into the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals of the 2016-17 season against Bayern Munich with a crucial 2-1 lead. However, it was blown away in the second half of the second leg when Robert Lewandowski scored from the penalty spot.
Bayern still needed a goal, and their task got more difficult when Ronaldo leaped the highest to head in Real's equalizer. Finally, a fast counter punch in Sergio Ramos' own goal tied the two-legged match 3-3 after regulation time. Bayern went down to 10-men after Altura Vidal was shown a red card in the 84th minute.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner made the most of the advantage as he scored two goals in extra time to secure Real's passage to the semi-finals. In doing so, he also became the first footballer in the world to go past 100 Champions League goals in the tournament's history.
#2 Real Madrid 3-0 Wolfsburg, 2016
Many didn't think Real Madrid's progression in the Champions League 2015-16 season will be hampered when they faced Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals. However, things went from bad to worse in the first leg, with Los Blancos crashing to an unexpected 2-0 defeat. The task that awaited them in the second leg wasn't impossible, but it wasn't easy either.
However, it didn't take long for Real Madrid to hit back strongly in the second leg, and it was their Portuguese superstar once again. The man from Madeira scored two goals in two minutes to equal the score of the tie. Real, however, pushed on for one more goal to send them to another semi-final.
They got it in the form of a free-kick that completed the forward's hat-trick and the comeback. Wolfsburg were shell-shocked as the German outfit couldn't believe what happened to them. They couldn't muster enough courage to make a reply.
#1 Juventus 3-0 Atletico Madrid, 2019
It was largely due to Ronaldo's goalscoring exploits with Real Madrid as to why Juventus paid €100 million for him in the summer of 2018. The Italian club were chasing the elusive Champions League trophy that season and had reached the knockout stages. However, it looked all but over when Atletico Madrid went ahead with two goals in the first leg of the R16 tie.
However, history has shown that Ronaldo comes through at the grandest of stages and most difficult of situations to stamp his authority. Few gave Juventus any chance due to how defensively robust Atletico Madrid were. No task, however, is impossible for the Portuguese, who scored two headers in the second leg to level the tie.
He then thumped home a penalty to help Juventus go ahead for the first time in aggregate scores. Atletico threatened to score a late away goal, but the defense held strong. The 'Magician of Madeira' once again proved to be the difference-maker.
