UCL: When Cristiano Ronaldo Scored Two Free Kicks on His Real Madrid Debut

• Cristiano Ronaldo scored two free kicks in his Real Madrid UCL debut on this day in 2009
• The Portugal captain scored 105 times in the competition in 101 games for Los Blancos
• Ronaldo joined the Spanish giants from Manchester United for a then-world-record fee

Cristiano Ronaldo's prowess in free kicks has noticeably dwindled in recent years.

He enjoyed a successful stint with Juventus and the Portuguese icon managed to find the net on numerous occasions. However, out of the 95 goals he scored in all competitions for the Italian team, only one was the result of a set piece.

It is worth noting that Ronaldo had ample opportunities to convert free kicks during his time at Juventus but his success rate was far from impressive, as he missed 71 out of 72 attempts, GiveMeSport reports.

Since joining Al-Nassr, the Portuguese superstar has managed to score just one free kick out of his many attempts.

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This statistic is quite awful and to be frank, the all-time leading goal-scorer in football should simply not be a top choice for taking set pieces these days.

However, that was definitely not the situation in past years. In his renowned tenure with Real Madrid, Ronaldo was widely regarded as the world's premier free kick specialist.

Ronaldo's debut UCL goal for Real Madrid

His trademark knuckle-ball technique wreaked havoc on goalkeepers and on his UEFA Champions League debut for Los Blancos on September 15, 2009, the 38-year-old produced a dead-ball masterclass against FC Zurich.

In a 5-2 win for Manuel Pellegrini's Real Madrid side at Stadion Letzigrund in Switzerland, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner scored two stunning goals from free kicks, UEFA reports.

The first was from around 25 yards out and the second completely deceived goalkeeper, Johnny Leoni who punched the ball into the roof of his net. It really was vintage Ronaldo.

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Mbappe rates Ronaldo's acrobatic goal against Juventus

Earlier, Sports Brief reported on Kylian Mbappe hailing Ronaldo's sensational overhead kick against Juventus in the UCL as the greatest goal he's ever had the pleasure of witnessing.

Back in 2018, when the Portuguese veteran was still a Real Madrid forward, he produced a goal for the ages, playing a pivotal role in his club's resounding victory against the Old Lady.