Football fans who witnessed Cristiano Ronaldo’s wonder bicycle kick goal in Turin may have watched the best goal ever scored by the best player ever.
Superlatives like great and legend fall short of Ronaldo’s supreme confidence and ability.
At 33 years old he is still capable of winning matches for Real Madrid and always seems to have that bit extra to take a match by the scruff of the neck.
His goal against Juventus was magnificent. To see the shot, time the kick and to have the fitness to accomplish such an outlandish move was the mark of greatness. And just look at his recent match statistics.
- Nine games, 19 goals for Real Madrid and 25 goals in 13 matches for Portugal.
- Ronaldo has hit 39 goals in 36 games for Real Madrid this season.
- He is the Champions League top scorer of all time with 119 goals – 19 more than his golden boot rival Lionel Messi of Barcelona. Ronaldo has hit the back of the net 16 times while scoring in 10 Champions League ties in a row.
Spectacular goal
“Obviously people are talking about the second goal, it was amazing, probably the best of my career,” Ronaldo said.
“It was spectacular. I jumped very high and it’s a goal that will live long in the memory. I’ve been looking to do it for a while, but it depends on the circumstances of the game. It just came to me to give it a go, you always must try it. I tried it today and it came off.”
Ronaldo scored again as Real Madrid went on to win their Champions League quarter final 3-0 in Turin – only the second home defeat for the Italian champions in 75 games.
Despite his success on the field, Ronaldo’s bronze bust at the airport named after him is still provoking ridicule. The sculptor has given the piece a makeover and even made a second, but fans still giggle and smirk at his efforts – branded dreadful by the media.
The two Cristiano Ronaldo busts compared
>