Revealed! 15 times Cristiano Ronaldo surprised the football world

Ronaldo is no doubt one of the biggest names in the football world. The Portuguese has, over the years, been arguably the best football player on the planet. He has broken many records. The times Cristiano Ronaldo surprised the football world are far and wide. He and Lionel Messi are arguably the best footballers in existence.

The Portugal-born star has played for some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Juventus, Real Madrid and Manchester United. The star is also the most productive forward in the history of Portuguese national football.

15. Sublime Free Kick

The date was January 30, 2008. Cristiano Ronaldo scored one of the Premier League's most legendary and unstoppable free kicks. The Portuguese great placed the ball as usual, with the valve facing where his laces would eventually crash.

He then took four long strides back into his iconic posture. The spectacular 'knuckle ball' whip would leave the goalie with little chance from when the ball left Ronaldo's boot like a rocket, some 27 meters distant.

14. Tearing Sweden Apart

Ronaldo has excelled not only at the club level but also at the international level. He's had more than his fair share of spectacular international performances, with one of his best coming against Sweden in November 2013.

In what was billed as a heavyweight battle between Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Portuguese man emerged victorious courtesy of his fantastic hat trick. His three second-half goals were all spectacular, and he easily could have had four or five.

13. CR7 Air Jordan – Gravity-defying headers

Cristiano has scored many spectacular goals in his career, but his NBA-style goals were exceptional. These are some of the best times Cristiano Ronaldo surprised the football world.

The first time was against Manchester United in 2013. Sir Alex Ferguson, the Red Devils' coach at the time, was initially critical of Patrice Evra's posture but later apologized after seeing a repeat of his former prodigy's spectacular 2.9-meter jump.

The second came in 2016 versus Wales. As he hammered a superb service past the waiting goalie, he appeared to be soaring above the Welsh defenders. However, to connect and even get to the ball, the Real Madrid player had to raise himself off the grass, reaching a height of 2.61 meters.

12. Puskas’s award-winning goal – “That” screamer against Porto

Ronaldo got the ball near the centre of the pitch and unleashed a 36-meter screamer into the lower corner of the Porto net in only the sixth minute of the game. Cristiano Ronaldo described it as the "greatest goal" he had ever scored. The effort earned the Fifa Puskas award for goal of the year for the first time.

11. International record

The Portugal star has scored his 110th international goal, surpassing every other player in the game's history, with more to come. This is one of the times Cristiano Ronaldo showed who is the boss.

Few people would have guessed in 2005 that Cristiano Ronaldo would be the greatest goalscorer in men's international football history for 16 years.

How many goals does Cristiano Ronaldo have in World Cup history?

Whilst Ronaldo no longer holds the record as top scorer at the World Cup, his tally of 15 goals in just 19 appearances across three tournaments is rightly admired.

10. 5 goals and 1 assist

In 2009, Real Madrid paid Manchester United a world record $82 million for the Portuguese attacker. However, during his time at the club, he more than paid for his investment with numerous outstanding performances.

One such effort came against Espanyol in La Liga during the 2015-16 season. Real Madrid was the clear favourite, but Ronaldo had a remarkable accomplishment to mark the occasion. That night, he had a magnificent hattrick, but that wasn't his only feat. That night, Madrid scored six goals, with Ronaldo directly involved in all of them.

9. 100 Champions League goals

Real Madrid had an intriguing Champions League quarterfinal matchup against their historic European rivals, Bayern Munich, in the 2016-17 season. The clash between the two European heavyweights remains one of the most contentious contests in history.

The return leg was an exciting game, with Bayern tying the aggregate score and forcing extra time, but Ronaldo would go on to score a hattrick to send Madrid to the semifinals. In doing so, he became the first footballer to achieve more than 100 Champions League goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal has scored the most goals in men's international football, with 117 in 189 appearances and counting.

8. Bicycle kick against Juventus

The reaction of Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane told it all. Cristiano Ronaldo scored perhaps one of the best goals in Champions League history in the first leg of Real Madrid's quarterfinal match against Juventus. This is one of the times Cristiano Ronaldo impressed the world.

Cristiano Ronaldo hailed as 'true leader' for his reaction after Arsenal equalised vs Man Utd at Old Trafford

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Cristiano Ronaldo soared up an astonishing one meter and forty centimetres in the air after meeting a cross from the right before rocketing a superb overhead volley past Gianluigi Buffon. Even Juventus fans praised the goal, leading to the player joining their club.

7. The World Cup's memorable hattrick

The FIFA World Cup 2018 placed Portugal and Spain in the same group, setting up an exciting match, and Ronaldo kicked off his campaign with a bang. Cristiano Ronaldo became the only player to score in eight successive significant championships with his first strike in just four minutes.

In a dramatic all-Iberian derby, he also netted a magnificent free-kick to force a share of the spoils. Then, finally, he scored a fantastic hat trick to assist Portugal in earning a thrilling 3-3 draw with former champions Spain. This is one of the times Cristiano Ronaldo shocked the world.

6. Awaited Juventus hattrick

Some of his detractors predicted that Juventus would be eliminated after losing the first leg 2-0, but Ronaldo seemed unconcerned. Ronaldo has often demonstrated his ability to stamp his authority on the grandest stages and in the most challenging situations. Cristiano started Juventus' comeback midway through the first half with a header. Another goal shortly after the break drew Juventus back into the game.

As extra time approached, the Portugal captain netted an 86th-minute penalty for his record-tying ninth hattrick in the championship and bringing up Ronaldo's long-awaited maiden hattrick in Bianconeri colours.

5. Return to Manchester United

In the summer of 2021, the Portuguese star made a shock return to Old Trafford after a long time away from his youth club. He played a massive part in ensuring Manchester United avoided an embarrassing exit from the English top 6 sides.

4. Portugal vs Sweden

Ronaldo has done outstanding work for the clubs for which he has played. He never failed to impress with his national side, though. One such incident occurred before the 2014 World Cup, when Portugal faced Sweden in a qualification match, with the winner advancing to the World Cup.

It was a titanic clash between Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The game was scoreless in the first half. Soon after halftime, though, the game regained its spark, with Ronaldo scoring its first goal in the 50th minute.

3. Hattrick against Wolfsburg in a do-or-die match

Real Madrid was predicted to easily defeat Wolfsburg in the quarterfinals of the 15/16 UCL season. However, something unusual and unexpected occurred when the German team upset Real Madrid 2-0 in the first leg.

Cristiano appeared confident and ready for vengeance as soon as he stepped onto the pitch in the second game. It didn't take long for Cristiano to erase a 2-0 deficit, scoring the first goal in the 15th minute and another two minutes later.

2. A move to Real Madrid in 2009

After a dream move to Real Madrid in 2009, he had a great nine years in which he broke the club's goalscoring record, won four more Champions Leagues, and won four more Ballon d'Ors.

He's broken every record and received every award under the sun. Coronavirus will be a distant memory by the time you've read them all; his list of accomplishments is that long. This is one of 10 things only Ronaldo did in football.

1. Copa del Rey Final

April 20, 2011. The "El Clasico" between Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho remained still 0-0 in the 103rd minute. Then, Cristiano Ronaldo won the championship. The moment when Real Madrid halted Barcelona's domination and won the Copa del Rey for the first time in 18 years against Barcelona's Tiki-Taka football.

Marcelo found Di Maria during one of his strikes. The Argentine's crisp left-footed cross was ideal for Ronaldo. The goalkeeper could not prevent the goal, and the fans in the Real Madrid section of the Mestalla exploded. Ronaldo scored the game's lone goal, giving Real Madrid the trophy. It was Ronaldo's first trophy with "Los Blancos."

Many times Cristiano Ronaldo surprised the football world in his lengthy career. The Portuguese star is one of the most ferocious attackers the world has ever hosted. He is one of the most decorated athletes ever.

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