Yesterday, Real Madrid finally clinched their 10th Champions League trophy after powering past city rivals Atletico 4-1. For the team and their supporters, it had been an agonizing 12-year wait and over €1 billion spent to achieve their long-awaited La Decima, but finally, all their blood, sweat, tears, and cash allocated finally came to fruition on May 24, 2014.
And for talismanic attacker Cristiano Ronaldo, it was extra special as not only was he able to grab a goal in his nation's capital, but also set a personal milestone of his own in what has been nothing short of a fantastic season for the 29-year-old. However, before the match, the player, who was born on February 5, 1985, not just talked about his excitement to win his second UCL title but how important it would be to score in the final.
Well, as if out of a scripted movie, the two-time Ballon d'Or winner achieved just that: converting an emphatically struck penalty to put the icing on the cake for what had been an amazing night for Carlo Ancelotti's men. Indeed, it seemed, up until last minutes of injury time, that Atletico would finally win their first UCL trophy and that Real Madrid would have to wait yet another year, but one of the interesting things about football is always being prepared to expect the unexpected.
And while it was not the best night for the Portuguese captain by his high standards, he nonetheless was able to achieve his the two objectives he set out to accomplish before lining up in one of the biggest games of his club career to date.
Cristiano, 4; Zlatan, 2. Technically the scoreline after last year's World Cup qualifying two-legged playoff was Portugal, 4; Sweden, 2. But, to be honest, when the pairings were announced it was really all going to be about CR7 versus Ibra. And, after single-handedly firing Portugal into the World Cup, including a hat-trick in the second leg, the pressure will be on the team's captain to help his side navigate through the toughest group at the tournament.
Indeed, with European heavyweights Germany, African powerhouse Ghana, and a determined USA for company, all eyes will be on the 29-year-old as he aspires to repeat the same dominance he has enjoyed at club level on the international stage. On a personal level, his achievements with his native country have been largely disappointing: a devastating loss in EURO 2004 to a staunchly defensive Greek outfit in his home country, and a third-placed finish in the same tournament eight years later.
However, with CR7 being in the best form so far of his career, it will be hard to find anyone--regardless if they support the player or not--that would bet against him adding to his goal haul in Brazil. Yet, as to how far Portugal will go will of course all depend on whether they can secure a top or second-placed finish in their group, and their opponents, in particular Ghana and Germany, will be keen on making sure that does not happen.
Some interesting facts and stats about this year's Ballon d'Or winner:
- With 49 goals, he is now his nation's all-time leading scorer, ahead of legends like Luis Figo and the late Eusebio.
- His penalty against Atletico on Saturday was his 17th of this year's UCL campaign, a new record and moved him into joint-second with Lionel Messi and just four behind Raul's 71.
- In winning the highly coveted trophy with Real Madrid, CR7 now joins a select group of players, including Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona, Inter) and Gerard Pique (Manchester United, Barcelona) who have won the prize with more than one club.
- This season, he clinched his 3rd European Golden Shoe, tied with Liverpool's Luis Suarez with 31 goals. And as his nation has won seven of them, this means that he has earned nearly 50% of the country's entire awards.
- Instead of rivals, he and Messi could have been teammates as Barcelona were reportedly keen on signing him in 2003. However, financial constraints, according to former Blaugrana president Joan Laporta, prevented them from doing so.
- Had it not been for a necessary operation, Cristiano might not have been able to become the player that he is today. As a youth, he was diagnosed with a racing heart that could have ended his career; fortunately, though, his surgery was a success and he didn't have to give up the sport that has made him a worldwide icon.
