Top 7 Cristiano Ronaldo moments at Real Madrid

The sands of time wait for none, as Cristiano Ronaldo ends an era at Real Madrid to leave for Juventus. After 9 years at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Portugal captain scored 450 goals donning the famous white shirt of Real Madrid and leaves as the club’s greatest scorer of all time.

His story at the capital was remarkable, to say the least. Sir Alex Ferguson’s despise towards Madrid meant that he didn’t want the former Sporting starlet to join them. He tried everything in his power to persuade Ronaldo to either stay at Manchester United or join any other club apart from Real Madrid.

However, his sheer passion to play for the Blancos meant that Ferguson and United had to resign to his will. In the end, he joined Real Madrid for £80 million – making him the most expensive player in the world at the time.

And now, after 9 years, he joins Juventus for £93 million – and that is despite the fact that he is 33-years-old. It just goes to show what a career he had at Madrid.

Here are some of the best moments of his life at the Bernabeu.

#7 Villarreal hat-trick

This is one of the best games that Cristiano played in a Madrid shirt. It was the perfect epitome of the type of mentality that the Portuguese possesses. His love for hard work and hate for losing was perfectly displayed in this game.

The Blancos didn’t know what hit them as Villarreal took the lead within the 7th minute of the game. However, a brilliant piece of play-making from Benzema and an Ozil assist later, Ronaldo found himself with the ball at his feet and an open goal to aim at – which he didn’t miss.

Then Villarreal scored again and Real Madrid were once again trailing. Just before the interval, however, Ronaldo scored from a Xabi Alonso set-piece. After the break, Ronaldo huffed and puffed but couldn’t get the ball in, but he is not the one to give up.

An opening. He runs. Back to goal. Makes a twist that would put the player to shame and shoots it with his left foot. Goal. Hat-trick complete. Comeback complete.

To this day, this remains the best example of the type of warrior that the Portuguese is. He will not give up, not even when he is supposedly down and out – and will always rise above all. Just out of pure determination.

#6 Copa del Rey final goal

This goal has a lot of significance. Before this game, Ronaldo was always labeled as a big-match bottler – someone who only pounced on the smaller teams.

And Barcelona, at the time, were at the pinnacle of their history. The Catalans’ domination in Spain meant that Madrid winning the Copa Del Rey would be the beginning of a power shift that would see the rise of the Galacticos.

Jose Mourinho was signed by Real Madrid as a means to end the Barca dominance and while he couldn’t stop the Catalan juggernaut from winning the league and the Champions League, he could do so in the Copa Del Rey.

So now, with only the Copa left, Madrid had to end their trophy drought. For 103 minutes, both sides gave it their all. Barca were the favourites but Madrid were not going to let them win easily this time.

And then in the 103rd minute, something happened – something that triggered a belief in the Blancos.

Di Maria floated in a beautiful cross from the left and Cristiano Ronaldo leaped like a bird. In his flight, his head met the ball and the latter went into the net like a bullet, giving Madrid their first title under Mourinho.

It was the beginning of Madrid believing in themselves again and Ronaldo putting the ‘can’t play well against big teams’ myth to bed.

#5 ‘Calma Calma’

Perhaps the most iconic moment in the El Clasico, after Raul’s finger-to-mouth hush, Cristiano Ronaldo virtually won Real Madrid the league at the Camp Nou. Before the game, Pep Guardiola had made it clear that if Barcelona lost or drew, Real Madrid were going to win the title.

After Khedira scored in the first half, it did feel like that was going to be the case after all. However, in the second half, Alexis Sanchez equalized and gave Barca a ray of hope with about 20 minutes left to play in the game.

But Ronaldo stabbed all those hopes with the dagger of his right foot. Just a little over two minutes after the Chilean’s goal, Mesut Ozil found the Portuguese with a beautiful ball.

There was still a lot left for Ronaldo to do as he rounded off Valdes and slammed into the heart of the goal to once again give Real Madrid the lead – and the title – then and there.

His celebration right after scoring the goal was something that Madridistas – and Cules – will never forget. He tapped his chest and then asked the crowd to calm down as he was there to take care of everything.

His goal helped Madrid win the league title for the first time in four years and opened his goals’ floodgates against Barcelona.

#4 Embarrassing Pique

If you ask a Madridista as to which Barca player she/he dislikes the most, the most common name will be Gerard Pique. The Barcelona defender likes to rub it in against Madrid and always pounces on the opportunity to troll his eternal rivals.

So when Cristiano Ronaldo made an absolute mockery of the World Cup-winning defender, Madridistas absolutely lost it. It was the Spanish Super Cup final and Madrid had already opened the scoring, thanks to a goal from Higuain.

And then, after Khedira lunged the ball forward, Ronaldo used his heel to flick the ball over Pique and put it into an ample of space. His poor control to bring it down didn’t matter as he smashed the ball through the gates of Victor Valdes.

That heel to take the ball over Pique has been immortalized by the goal and it won’t be surprising if it still haunts Pique to this day.

#3 Winning kick against Atletico Madrid

Real Madrid players were shocked at Perez’s decision to sack Carlo Ancelotti just a season after winning the Champions League. On top of that, he chose Rafa Benitez as the Italian’s successor – something that might not have gone down well with the players.

By January, Benitez was sacked and replaced by Zinedine Zidane. The league was gone and so was the Copa del Rey. But somehow, the Galacticos managed to crawl their way into the final of the Champions League.

In the final, they faced eternal rivals Atletico Madrid. They couldn’t be separated in normal and extra-time as the score stayed 1-1. Penalties ensued. Every Madrid player had scored their kicks, with the exception of Juanfran.

Ronaldo stepped up. He was the fifth taker for the Blancos. The memory of missing his kick in the shootout against Bayern must have gone through his head at least once.

But he didn’t let it overwhelm him. He ran in and smashed to the left of a clueless Oblak and then ripped open his shirt. Madrid, out of nowhere and in their supposedly worst season, won the Champions League that turned out to be the first of their three consecutive CL titles.

#2 Ronaldo final

While it was Ronaldo’s performances in the knock-outs of the Champions League campaigns that helped the Blancos reach the finals of 2014 and 2016, there was never a really a final which could have been dubbed as a ‘Ronaldo final’.

All that changed in 2017.

Real Madrid were facing Juventus in the final of the 2017 Champions League. This is the same Juve team that knocked out Galacticos in 2015 to reach the final of that campaign.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, was at his best. Zidane’s rotation policy meant that the Portuguese was still fresh even during the crunch-end of the season.

The superstar opened the scoring with a superb first-touch finish and then sealed the deal with another close one-touch finish that all but won the game and the trophy for the Blancos, making the final his own.

#1 Overhead kick

It is strange that the moment that might have propelled him to join Juventus is one of the greatest of his career with the Galacticos. Cristiano Ronaldo always had an obsession with scoring an overhead kick goal.

However, despite continuous efforts, he couldn’t get the ball to hit the net. Either the post or a brilliant save always ruined his efforts. But it was all worth it because of what happened in Turin.

It was the first leg of the quarter-final in Turin. This is where they got knocked out of the Champions League in 2015 as the hosts won 2-1 and Madrid couldn’t overcome the deficit in the return leg at the Bernabeu.

So, technically, it was the extra goal in Turin that knocked them out of the competition. Madrid were confident, however, as they won the Champions League title in 2017 after beating Juventus in the final.

Ronaldo was fresh coming into the match and continued his assault against the Bianconeri by scoring a goal in the third minute itself. However, the next goal that the Portuguese scored immortalized him in Turin.

A flighted cross from the right saw Ronaldo pounce in the air with an overhead kick that flew straight past Buffon and into the net. Such was the craft of the goal that Juventus fan in the stadium gave him a standing ovation – something that he never received in away stadiums in his career.

In the end, that might have been the moment when Juventus won him over as he now going to fight for the honor of those very fans week in and week out.