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#4 Penalty 101
Cristiano Ronaldo has taken 120 penalties in his entire career for club and country - and scored 84.16% (101) of them. It's a staggering statistic, one where he clearly bests Lionel Messi and points to the depths of mental reserves the Portuguese star possesses.
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Consider the implications of missing the first penalty - Real Madrid were full of nerves, and Valencia would have taken advantage - which would have simply amped up the pressure on Zinedine Zidane and his charges. A loss at the Mestalla would have sharpened the knives, with Zidane primed for the sack.
Instead, Ronaldo stepped up to the plate twice, and scored with trademark confident swagger. The effect? Confidence, which has been sorely absent from his Madrid teammates this season, flowed back - if ever so gradually, and sadly, temporarily.
He may be called Penaldo in a derogatory manner, but I'd bet good money that Ronaldo is proud of that label.
