5 Cristiano Ronaldo moments a fan can never forget. 

''The greatest stages in the world where heroes become legends and moments become history''

Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably the greatest player to have ever touched a football, recently lifted his record fifth Balon D'Or in Paris. The Real Madrid talisman had a fantastic year, being an important part of the team's illustrious title winning campaigns last season. Finishing as the top scorer in the Champions league and lifting the best player awards for both UEFA and FIFA, the man from Purtugal had a year he will never forget.

The left winger, over the last decade or so, has given the footballing world some breathtaking entertainment and drama. Scoring in crunch-finals, netting some absolute beauties and taking the mickey out of defenders all over the planet have been some of the exploits of his professional career so far.

Here are the top 5 Ronaldo moments that will be embedded forever in footballing history:

#5 The Debut

61 minutes into the opening match of the 2003-04 season, Nicky Butt made way for a young portuguese with a weird haircut and a shirt that was far too loose for his rather frail build. But the scrawny little kid was special, and he made sure that the entire Old Trafford knew that.

Shelling out a mighty 13 million for a teenager and then giving him Beckham's legendary number 7 jersey showed that the club thought he was the real deal. And he didn't disappoint.

It took him a single touch and a crafty turn to get the Old Trafford on it's feet and 5 minutes later, the fans had a new song to sing.

Ronaldo's debut had everything. The Bolton defenders, who were initialy relieved to see Butt leave, were suddenly perplexed by everything that was happening around them. The boy had pace, he had skill and most importantly, he had a sense of fearlessness and arrogance that just couldn't be ignored. He came on to the pitch on that legendary, historical ground and yet, was unmoved by the gravity of the situation.

He played like he had just lifted the Balon D'or, it's as if he already knew that he was a class above, and all it took him was 30 minutes to prove it.

With his step overs, turns, and chops, the newly crowned number 7 had made instant noise in the most competitive league in the world. That opening day of the 2003-04 season changed everything for Manchester United. The team sheet listed glorious names like Rude Van Neestelroy, Ryan Giggs and Paud Scholes. However, a new face made it to the newspapers headlines the next day.

Beckham was a memory. He was history before anyone could even blink, United had seen a footballing genius that was about to make the Old Trafford his oyster and dominate England's most elite contest like the pearl that he was.

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#4 Euro 2016

Ronaldo was forced to walk out of the most crucial match of his international career

The man from Madeira, now the captain of the Portugal National team, had never tasted international success and to be honest, wasn't likely to achieve it throughout his career. With other national teams far better in terms of quality, Portugal didn't seem like it had the ammunition to lift it's first piece of metal in 2016.

It had been a decade since Portugal lost that semi final in Munich to Zinedine Zidane's French squad. The team that was considered Portugal's best ever with the likes of Deco and Luis Figo, and a young Ronaldo. However, a 1-0 defeat meant that the nation would have to wait for years before they could field a team that stood a chance to lift the silverware any time sonon.

Portugal were completely outclassed on paper by the other competing countries in Euro 2012, but entered the competition on the virtue of being semi finalists in the previous season.

The tournament saw the players in their white and green jersey fight their way to the semi final, with Ronaldo being at the centre-stage as usual. The Portuguese talisman netted some breath taking goals as he made runs between the European defenders. But their journey came to an end as holding Spain to a 0-0 draw wasn't enough in the semi-final. They lost to the team that would go on to be champions, in penalties.

But the Portuguese fairy tail was just about to begin. In 2016, they started of the tournament in the worst possible way, drawing all three matches. Limping into the quarter finals, the Real Madrid number 7 faced a team with one of the best midfields in football. Managing to score a late winner in the 118th minute meant Portugal would face Gareth Bale's Wales in Lyon for the semi-final.

A towering header and assist from Ronaldo resulted in Portugal booking a place in the European final, only for the second time in its footballing history. The nation couldn't help but relive the agonising loss to Greece in 2004. The mighty Portuguese team that looked by far the strongest on paper, were stunned in their own back yard as Lisbon was left astonished back then.

But it was different this time. It wasn't 2004, it wasn't Lisbon; it was Paris and they were up against Les Blues. The team that beat the World Champions, were now facing a Portugal, a team that had struggled on their way to the top.

The final was as painful as it was exciting for the skipper. Suffering a major knock in the first 20 meant that he had to walk out of the most important match of his international career. Struggling to beat the pain and force the adrenaline to help him push through, Ronaldo finally took of that captain armband and to the world's despair, layed down on the ground in surrender. It was all on the others now. The onus of taking the team through was now on ageing players like Luis Nani and Pepe, a young and inexperienced Renato Sanchez and of course the Rabona specialist - Ricardo Quarezma.

The final was a nail bitter.

An unreal mess-up from Antoine Griezmann, meant that Portugal had managed to take the final into extra time. Late into the second half, the substitute - Eder, a man who had hardly played this campaign, let fly a low shot into the bottom left corner, a shot that ,made all of France come crashing down!

The wait was over. The Portuguese National Team had won Europe over and nobody could explain how it happened. The fairytale had materialized, and Europe was red. Limping on to the celebrations with his eyes full of tears and his heart full of raw emotion, the hardworking Ronaldo achieved international glory,

And boy, did he deserve it!

#3 Free Kick against Arsenal

When Ronaldo conjured magic at the Emirates Stadium..

"Too far for Ronaldo to think about it"

Those were the exact words of the commentator, as Ronaldo stepped back and stood at his iconic free kick position. The ball was around 40 yards out. A three-man wall was all that was needed for Arsenal to avoid conceding the goal, considering the distance between the ball and the goal.

United were leading, and needed a goal to seal a spot in the Champions League final. In the heat of the second leg of the semi final, the right-footed player stepped up and scored what probably was the best goal of his career.

The footballing prodigy was one of Premier League's most exciting players back then. He dribbled past players, leaped above them and always was a clinical at finishing. He had one more vital attribute though: he was a free kick specialist.

Cristiano's famous knuckle ball went on to become one of the greatest free kick goals in football history. Beckham could curve the ball, but what Ronaldo did was close to impossible. There were studies and analysis done all over the planet, to figure out the science behind his miraculous strike. His kick caused the ball to change direction more than once and then made it dip out of nowhere!

One such knuckle ball came in the 21st minute at the Emirates, against Arsene Wenger's Arsenal. The kick was so strong and so accurate that there was nothing the keeper could do about it. He had to move six yards, the ball had to move 40. Guess what, the ball won!

The commentator was forced to eat his words on international television. It's like the winger had heard him and scored that goal to tell him never to underestimate him again!

He was a free kick genius. No distance was too far. No wall was too high. No range was out of question and no angle was too acute.

#2 La Undecima

The one strike that fixed everything!

Los Blancos, the most successful club in Europe, had won the continents's most elite competition a record 9 times. But after Zidane's volley in 2002, it took Real 12 years to play a Champions League final again.

Losing in or before the semifinal for 11 years on the trot , the frustration in the Bernabou camp was starting to seem tangible. In 2014, Real Madrid finally earned a slot in the most exciting game of the season: a Champions League final, but more importantly a final against their local rivals, the Los Colchoneros, Atletico de Madrid.

In what would go down in Real Madrid's history as one of their most important games, Sergio Ramos led the team to lay their hands on the illusive Decima. But the hunger wasn't satisfied. The fans, the staff, the players, they all wanted more, and 2 years later, they were back in the final.

The year was 2016, the place was Milan, but the teams were the same. Atletico wanted a rematch, and they got it. For the second time in three years, the champions league final was a Madrid Derby. The stage was set. Real were looking for their 11th CL title in history and second in 3 years, while Atletico were looking to win it for the maiden time.

Things were very different this time, yet extremely similar. Los Blancos scored the first goal of the final, unlike 2014, but the scorer was the same. The Real Madrid captain rose to the occassion once again and early netted the ball across San Siro early into the first half.

Equalising through the substitute Carrasco, Atletico managed to stop the in-form Real Madrid and take the game into extra time, and thereafter, into penalties.

10 kicks of a football would script the pages of history. The first seven found the back of the net, but the 8th didn't. Juanfaran's kick hit the post. All Real needed now, was to score the final goal.

Ronaldo stepped up for the nth time in his career. What;s more, he chose spot kick that could either make him the hero or degrade him as a villain. Madrid's and probably the world's finest penalty taker was up to take the most important kick of his life. He held the hopes of thousands in the stands around him and millions around the world.

Penalties had hurt him in the past. The miss against Bayern Munich in the semi final, 4 years ago suddenly sprang to memory. The miss in the CL final against arch-rivals Chelsea was still a fresh wound.

The pressure was too much and a lot more was at stake. The competition was long, all that effort and pain, all that struggle, all of it would be worth it or in vain, depending up on where that ball landed.

However, the arrogant, fearless boy was still the same.

He stood there, 12 yards away from goal, in his iconic stancem which is now legendary. He took a deep breath, looked the referee in the eye and waited for the whistle. He swung his leg at the ball, sending it hurling into the net to give Madrid their La Undecima.

Milan had only one name to sing. The man of the moment.

Unmoved by the pressure of expectation, Ronaldo did what he does best, and the rest as they say, is history.

#1 The 5th Ballon d'Or

Most don't have one. He has five.

In the 2007-08 season began an era of dual-domination by two of the greatest sport personalities in the world. Ronaldo and Messi, a class above the rest of their generation, would make the Ballon D'or their personal possession, only sharing it with each other.

But it didn't seem like that in 2013, because up to 2013 there was no sharing. Ronaldo had won the most elite individual award only once and after that Messi had won it for a record 4 times, and that too consecutively.

There was no stopping La Pulga. For 4 years that man was without doubt the greatest in the game and perhaps, the greatest ever. Winning titles left, right and centre, dominating Europe and Spain, the trio of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi was as lethal as it could get. The debate was always there, but the winner was clear, Messi had surpassed his rival and his no one could do anything about it.

Messi with his 5th Ballon d'Or

For 4 years, Ronaldo watched Messi lift a trophy he would give anything to lay his hands on. It was the ultimate individual prize in the game.

The Argentinian was on his way, and no player on the planet was even close to his level of play. Legends of the sport, pundits, coaches and even the players surrendered to him as the best player to ever play the modern game. However, 4 years of domination wasn't enough for Ronaldo to give up.

His arrogance, his pride, his belief wouldn't let him do that.

In an interview after losing to Messi for the fourth time, the pacy winger made a claim. A claim he had absolutely no right to make. Not after what Messi had done to him. Not after the position he was in. When asked who the best in the world was, Ronaldo gave an instant, unwavering reply - "Me. I am the best in the world."

5 years later, he proved it.

CR7 dominated the footballing world in the next half a decade. Winning the Champions League 3 times in the last 4 years, winning the Euros 2016 and winning several other trophies and accolades, he flipped the rivalry on its backside. The era was his, the record was levelled.

The arrogance had paid off.

With several records to his name and an illustrious cabinet of trophies, Ronaldo outshined his rival with nothing but persistence, and produced the greatest individual comeback in football history.

He made a mockery of the 4-1 lead. He dismantled the greatest teams on the planet. He showed the world who he was and what could he do.

''Your love makes me strong, your hate unstoppable" - Cristiano Ronaldo