5 times Cristiano Ronaldo took matters into his own hands

Cristiano Ronaldo's reputation as one of the greatest individual performers in the history of the game is simply non-debatable. The Portuguese is by far the best option to summon when you need one man to stage an incredible show and decide the fate of a big game all on his own.

The last few years have seen the five-time Ballon d'Or winner take on some of the best teams in Europe and make them look average with his decisive displays in front of goal. Tearing defenses apart, making goalkeepers look helpless and scoring memorable goals, CR7 never fails to demonstrate his individual brilliance in the biggest games.

Whether with club or country, you'll definitely find a lot of such instances in the career of the Portuguese. That said, let's look at five times Cristiano Ronaldo took matters into his own hands over the last few years.

#5 Real Madrid 3-0 Wolfsburg (Champions League, 2016)

The attacker led Real Madrid to an unlikely triumph over the Bundesliga outfit

Real Madrid found themselves in need of a miraculous turnaround after falling to a shocking 2-0 defeat in the first leg of their 2015-2016 Champions quarter-final tie with Wolfsburg.

Los Blancos placed their faith in Cristiano Ronaldo when they hosted the German outfit at the Santiago Bernabeu for the return fixture on April 16, 2016. Their faith was well rewarded as the Portuguese stepped up to produce an outstanding performance to secure their passage into the next round.

It took the five-time Ballon d'Or winner just 17 minutes to cancel out the two goals Real Madrid conceded in Germany. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his third goal of the night with a fantastic free kick that earned the Spanish giants an impressive 3-0 triumph on home turf.

#4 Barcelona 1-3 Real Madrid (Copa del Rey, 2013)

Cristiano Ronaldo put up a scintillating display at Camp Nou

Real Madrid and Barcelona played a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their 2012-2013 Copa del Rey semi-final clash at the Santiago Bernabeu. That set up a massive clash between the bitter rivals in the return fixture at Camp Nou on February 26, 2013.

The game began with great intensity as Barcelona tried to create havoc by launching a string of attacking moves. However, it didn't take long before Cristiano Ronaldo made his impact felt, winning a penalty kick in the 12th minute following some brilliant stepovers in the opposition box.

The Portuguese calmly converted from the spot to give Los Blancos a much-needed lead. CR7 struck again from close range early into the second half, with Raphael Varane scoring Real Madrid's third goal before Jordi Alba bagged a consolation for the hosts in the 87th minute.

#3 Spain 3-3 Portugal (World Cup, 2018)

Arguably Cristiani Ronaldo's best performance for Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo was in beast mode when Portugal clashed with Spain in their opening game at the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament in Russia. The winger wasted no time in making his impact felt, scoring the first goal of the encounter from the spot in the fourth minute.

Diego Costa restored parity at the 24th minute mark but the five-time Ballon d'Or winner struck again in the 44th minute to ensure his side maintained their lead heading into half-time. The tide turned against Portugal in the second half, with Spain scoring two goals within three minutes to take the front seat.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Cristiano Ronaldo rose up and fired in a brilliant free-kick with just two minutes left on the watch to ensure both sides shared the spoils.

#2 Real Madrid 4-2 Bayern Munich (Champions League, 2017)

Two quick extra-time goals from Cristiano Ronaldo settled an intense clash with Bayern Munich

Clashes between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are known to be intense and that proved to be the case once again as both clubs met in the 2016/2017 Champions League quarterfinals.

The first leg, which was played in Germany, saw Los Blancos claim a hard-fought 2-1 victory. The Bundesliga giants returned with more determination in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu and managed to force the game into extra-time with a 2-1 scoreline in their favor.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who had scored Real Madrid's solitary goal in normal time, seized the opportunity to remind the world of his class. The attacker scored twice in the extended period with Marco Asensio adding one more to seal a 4-2 victory for Zinedine Zidane's men.

#1 Juventus 3-0 Atletico Madrid (Champions League, 2019)

Cristiano Ronaldo promised to score a hat-trick and he did just that

Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus suffered a 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash in 2019. However, the Portuguese refused to give up, promising his friends he'd score a hat-trick in the return fixture.

It sounded ridiculous at first considering Atletico's defensive prowess but Cristiano Ronaldo delivered on the promise. The attacker scored thrice to complete one of the most remarkable comebacks in football history.

He scored his first goal by heading home Federico Bernardeschi's cross in the 27th minute and added his second in a similar fashion shortly after the restart. The Portuguese scored the last goal of the game from the spot to seal Juve's passage into the quarterfinals.