Cristiano Ronaldo's 5 best games at Real Madrid

One thing that made The Undertaker a fan favourite was his ability to make a comeback. He literally rose from the grave and earned the nickname Dead Man because of feats like this.

Now, Cristiano Ronaldo has been scoring a lot, as usual, so claiming that he is making a comeback with his recent performances would be a bit of a stretch, but he is indeed making a comeback in his very own way.

He might have scored a lot of goals this season, a tally that stands at 46 in 42 games, but he wasn’t as influential as he was in the previous seasons. Some games, he went without making a mark, and in some others, he scored 4-5 goals all by himself.

Scoring is a big feat, the best kind. However, scoring at a time when it really matters is the most superior achievement. Cristiano Ronaldo has had many games where he accomplished this. And here are 5 such instances…

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#5 2-1 vs Bayern Munich – (Santiago Bernabeu, Champions League 2011-12 semi-final, 2nd leg)

Real Madrid had lost the first leg 2-1 at the Allianz Arena. Given that they had scored an away goal, the chances of progression for the Madrid club was still high. Indeed, Real Madrid fans were actually the happier set after the conclusion of the first leg.

And 15 minutes into the second leg, we knew why.

At first, Cristiano blasted a penalty home after David Alaba handled the ball in the box. He then made a superb low finish into the corner of the net after Mesut Ozil’s pass found him inside the box. At that point, it felt like Real Madrid would run away with the tie in their bag.

However, with Jose Mourinho asking his players to play more cautiously after leading the tie, Real Madrid couldn’t capitalize and in the end let Bayern come back with a goal from Arjen Robben.

In the shootout that followed, Cristiano might have failed to score, but it doesn’t erase the fact that it was his goals that got the Blancos there in the first place.

#4 2-2 vs Barcelona – (Camp Nou, La Liga 2012-13)

This truly was a Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi match. With the Ballon d’Or ceremony hanging around the corner, it was time for both these legends to make a statement of superiority.

And statement, they made, but it was still unclear as to who was superior on the night—such was the level of performance both of them displayed. After Cristiano Ronaldo gave Real Madrid the lead by scoring in his sixth consecutive Clasico, the trumpets were blared as the first spoils of the battle belonged to the Portuguese.

However, it fired Lionel Messi to score two unanswered goals, one of which was a scintillating second-half free-kick. Lionel Messi was winning, but he hadn’t won just yet.

Five minutes later, the former United star took advantage of a disarrayed Barcelona defense and slotted from a well-placed through ball from Mesut Ozil—finishing the game on level with Lionel Messi.

This was his one of his best performances for Real Madrid given that it came at such a crucial time and situation.

#3 2-3 vs Sevilla – (Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, La Liga 2014-15)

Sevilla is Cristiano Ronaldo’s favourite victim. In the 15 encounters against the Andalusian side, he has 22 goals to his name—more than any other club he has faced.

And one of his best games in the white shirt came against Sevillla last year when he scored a hattrick against them to give Madrid a vital 3-2 win at the Sanchez Pizjuan.

This win was important because it kept Real Madrid in contention for title glory as they were just 2 points behind then leaders and eventual winners, Barcelona, with just 3 games to go.

The Portuguese opened the scoring when his head found Isco’s cross and smashed it in from 6 yards out. Two minutes later, another cross—this time from James Rodriguez—was poked in by former Sporting youngster.

Finally, he completed his hattrick with another goal from a cross—this time from Bale—as he scored a wonderful looping header to take the scores to 3-1. Sevilla got a goal eventually, making his hattrick even more important.

#2 4-2 vs Villarreal – (Santiago Bernabeu, La Liga 2010-11)

This was his best game in a Real Madrid shirt for quite a while. He showed what he is made of in this encounter, as he single handedly saved Real Madrid from an embarrassing home defeat against the Yellow Submarines.

His never-give-up attitude surfaced when Cani scored from a beautiful lob. Real Madrid instantly responded through a tap-in goal from Cristiano. Easy so far, isn’t it?

Then Marco Ruben once again restored the lead for Villarreal with another lobbed goal. However, at the stroke of half-time, the Galacticos equalized when a Xabi Alonso set-piece was headed in by the Portuguese.

In the second half, as Karim Benzema’s shot into an open net was blocked by an onrushing defender, Cristiano Ronaldo ran towards the ball with his back towards the goal and blasted the ball in with his left foot while on the turn.

The ball found its way to the bottom-right corner in what was a hardly believable goal, given that the former United winger didn’t even look once towards the goal.

That wasn’t all though. He finished the game by assisting Kaka for his first goal of the season. This was the game which truly displayed his abilities as a footballer and a leader.

#1 3-0 Wolfsburg – (Santiago Bernabeu, Champions League 2015-16 semi-final, 2nd leg)

And this was the game that beat the Villarreal one to become Cristiano Ronaldo’s best game in a Madrid shirt.

The Merengues lost their first leg 2-0, to the surprise of many people. No-one, not even Wolfsburg players expected the Whites to lose. However, it happened and the Bernabeu side now found themselves on the brink of elimination.

But Cristiano Ronaldo had others plans.

Within the space of 90 seconds, he scored 2 goals to bring the tie back in the balance. First, he found the net from a simple finish at the far post. 90 seconds later, he beautifully headed in a corner to bring an outstanding amount of joy to the hearts of Madrid fans.

Finally, with just 13 minutes to go, he lined up to take a free-kick. He is no longer the free-kick specialist that he once was, and hence, many expected it to either hit the wall or go to the heavens. Neither happened as the ball swirled its way to the left of Benaglio, giving Madrid the lead in the tie.

In the end, Ronaldo’s hattrick was enough to take them to the semi-final and left the Los Blancos hoping that their star player comes out with performances like these for the remainder of the season.