Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players to have played for Real Madrid. He joined the club from Manchester United in the summer of 2009 and stayed until the end of the 2017-18 season when he decided to join the Serie A outfit, Juventus. During his time at Real Madrid, Ronaldo registered a total of 400 appearances for the club in all competitions and scored 421 goals whilst registering 115 assists, per FBref. He remains the top scorer in club history.
Having already ranked the best goals of Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid, we now take a look at his best performances during his nine seasons with the club. Here is a ranked list of his top 5 greatest games in the famous white shirt.
5. Real Madrid 4-1 Juventus, UEFA Champions League Final 2016/17
The Champions League has always been a club priority for Real Madrid. It was no surprise that even Ronaldo valued this trophy more. The Champions League was about proving that Real Madrid were the best among the best teams in Europe and Ronaldo’s winning attitude resonated well with the competition’s premise. It is no surprise that four of his top five performances on this list are from the coveted Champions League.
One such performance came on June 3, 2017, when Real Madrid faced Juventus in the final of the UEFA Champions League. The match was played at the National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff on a night that we today call the night of La Duodecima. Juventus started strong, with former Madrid-man Gonzalo Higuain being a constant threat to Keylor Navas’s goal. Real Madrid had to rely on their counter-attacking abilities.
In one such counter-attack in the 20th minute, a Dani Carvajal cut-back landed perfectly for Cristiano Ronaldo, and he started the scoring as he buried a low-drilled shot perfectly into the bottom left corner. But it only took six minutes for the Italians to hurt Real Madrid back in style as Mario Mandzukic chested a ball to set himself up for an overhead volley that Navas had no answer to.
Real Madrid had a bright start to the second half. They kept attacking in regular waves but couldn’t find an end product until the hour mark. Carlos Casemiro launched a hopeful shot that found the back of the net after a heavy deflection and Real were back in front. Three minutes later, Luka Modric found Cristiano Ronaldo with a cut-back and the Portuguese buried it past Gianluigi Buffon’s into the near post to complete his brace. The night was summed up by Marco Asensio who scored a fourth for Real Madrid and they successfully defended their Champions League crown.
4. Atletico Madrid 1-4 Real Madrid, La Liga (April 11, 2012)
The title race for La Liga 11/12 was neck to neck. Real Madrid were leading and had the opportunity to go four points clear of the second-placed, FC Barcelona. There however was one problem, Real had to beat a very strong Atletico side at the Vicente Calderon Stadium. The first twenty minutes of the match went Atletico’s way, they created the better chances but had nothing to show for on the scoreboard.
Karim Benzema won a freekick at 24 minutes and that was when Cristiano Ronaldo struck, and boy, did he strike it well! He converted from yards outside to score his 50th goal of the season past Thibaut Courtois guarding the Atletico goal who had absolutely no clue of the ball’s movement as it flew past him. Real created a couple of half-chances but that was it for the half.
In the opening minutes of the second half, Atletico were on top and they soon found their reward. Falcao, who had been a looming danger throughout the match headed in an equalizer in the 55th minute, and it was game on at El Derbi. Ronaldo was quick to react, forcing a smart save just a couple of minutes later, signalling a storm Atletico would never have seen coming.
Ronaldo struck in astonishing fashion, again, from yards out, and the ball flew past Courtois and into the back of the net placed perfectly just under the bar. Yet another unbelievable goal, the kind that is worthy of winning the team their league crown and now the count was two for the night.
As the match neared its end, things tilted Real’s way. The experienced Diego Godin brought down Gonzalo Higuain inside the box in an absolutely reckless challenge at a stage of the game when Atleti were only one behind. There was only one candidate to take the spot kick, and he didn’t disappoint. With that hit, Ronaldo completed his hat-trick and reached the 40 league goals mark. But, he wasn’t done yet.
Ronaldo closed the curtains of a brilliant performance with a great assist for Jose Callejon to score the fourth for Real Madrid. To continue snatching the spotlight for 90 long minutes from 21 other players or the pitch isn’t an ordinary feat. And, in my opinion, the league’s second El Derbi of the 2011/12 season was Cristiano Ronaldo’s best league performance ever.
3. Real Madrid 3-0 Wolfsburg, UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final 2015/16
In the quarterfinals of 2015/16 Champions League, Real Madrid welcomed Wolfsburg to the Bernabeu with a surprise two-goal deficit from the first leg. Real Madrid had a huge task in front of them if they were to advance in the competition and add another European Cup after the coveted La Decima in 2013/14.
Real Madrid looked like a team on a mission. They dominated play from the opening whistle and tested the German defense with waves after waves of well-structured attack. They soon had their reward when Dani Carvajal found Cristiano Ronaldo placed perfectly for a finish at the far post to an open net within 15 minutes. But, the job was far from accomplished. Real still had to score if they were to survive.
The Carvajal-Ronaldo combination nearly worked again after just one minute. This time it was a ball in the air and Ronaldo had to get his head to it. But, the Wolfsburg defense managed to clear it at expense of a corner, little did they know what that corner would bring. Cristiano Ronaldo then headed the corner expertly with a glancing header into the inside side-netting on the far post and the aggregate tie was restored within 17 minutes of play in the second leg.
The game kept producing half chances on both ends but none found a finished product. It was a night destined to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s. Even Karim Benzema couldn’t convert some decent opportunities that fell for him. In defense, Real Madrid had one key man to thank, Keylor Navas. He held up like a wall in front of Real Madrid’s goal stopping all shots that came its way.
The second half started and it was the same story. For everyone on the pitch, something or the other seemed to go off. Sergio Ramos even had a towering-headed attempt placed perfectly yet it somehow failed to cross the line and the scoreline still read 2-0 to Real Madrid. Finally, at 77 minutes Cristiano slotted home a freekick in expert technique from yards outside the box. It went through the wall and into the bottom right corner of the goal.
Ronaldo completed his hat-trick and rescued Real Madrid’s chances. Karim Benzema and Jese Rodriguez both had two brilliant attempts denied by the goalkeeper. Today as we know, that semifinal qualification on a single goal’s margin remains the bedrock of the famous Champions League three-peat under Zinedine Zidane’s management. Real would go on from here to win the final on penalties against their city rivals, Los Rojiblancos in Milan to win their eleventh title or La Undecima.
2. Real Madrid 4-2 FC Bayern, UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final 2016/17
In the quarterfinals of the Champions League 2016/17 season, Real Madrid hosted FC Bayern for the second leg with an away goal advantage from the first leg in Munich that Los Blancos won 2-1. Real Madrid were favorites to advance. If they held on to whatever advantage they had they would have qualified for the semis. Nonetheless, the man in white decided to put on a show that the fans could never forget.
The first half stayed goalless. But, there was a lot of action to savour, the likes of Arturo Vidal and Robert Lewandowski stayed constant threat to Navas’s goal while on the other end, Benzema, Kroos, Carvajal, and Ronaldo registered venomous attempts that Manuel Neuer evaded. The second half also found the game at a similar tempo. Marcelo was forced to make a clearance off the goalline by Arjen Robben at 50 minutes and that was the closest either team came to scoring.
Just a minute later, Casemiro brought Robben down inside the box resulting in a spot-kick that Robert Lewandowski converted in expert fashion to bring the aggregate score to level. Real still were advancing on away goals. But, Cristiano had to make things clear. At 77 minutes Casemiro found Cristiano placed perfectly in the box to rectify his mistake. Cristiano headed home into the bottom right corner and Real were ahead.
But, the drama was far from over. Nacho and Ramos combined in sloppy play to concede an own-goal even before a minute had passed to Ronaldo’s goal. The energy of the players on the pitch went up by a gear as silly fouls found their way into the game. In the 83rd minute, Arturo Vidal was sent off for a crazy challenge on Marco Asensio. The final whistle was blown and the match was into the extra time.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his second of the game in the 103rd minute when Ramos found his inside the box and Ronaldo set himself up for a half volley past Neuer. Five minutes later, courtesy of some sloppy Bayern defending, Marcelo found Cristiano in the open and he slotted home his third. Asensio put the finishing touches on a night that clearly belonged to Cristiano Ronaldo, with an expertly placed shot to the far post, drilled low and sharp it found its way into the bottom corner and Real Madrid cruised into the semis.
1. Juventus 0-3 Real Madrid, UEFA Champions League Quarter Final 2017/18
Real Madrid had won two back-to-back Champions League titles and were in the running to defend their crown and win a third in the row in the competitions 2017/18 edition. In the quarterfinals, they were drawn against a familiar opposition. Real had faced Juventus earlier, they beat them very famously in the finals of the competition back in 2016/17. The match promised to be one of the best draws and as it ended, none were disappointed especially Madridistas.
Real found themselves ahead within three minutes as Isco drilled in a low cross to find Ronaldo who delicately tapped the ball to deflect it into the net to score his 118th goal in the Champions League. Juventus manufactured few half chances and Higuain proved to be the brightest in the opening minutes before Kroos struck the bar at 36 minutes with a powerful long shot. The first half ended with Real Madrid with a slender lead.
The second half saw Juventus in increased energy as they won a free kick in a great position. Alas, all of Juventus’s momentum was to be broken in a counterattack that resulted in Dani Carvajal crossing the ball up in the air and Ronaldo scoring a bicycle kick that Buffon had no answer to. Every single spectator in the stadium was on their feet and applauding the brilliance of the Portuguese. Ronaldo gave away a gesture of gratitude to all Juventus fans who forgot the hurt Real Madrid were inflicting on their team and were rather applauding.
Marcelo then added a third at 73 minutes and Real Madrid returned to Bernabeu with a comfortable three away-goal advantage. However, Juventus had their revenge as they defeated Los Blancos 1-3 in the second leg. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal for Real Madrid courtesy of a spot-kick under extra time. That goal at the end separated the two teams and Real Madrid cruised into the semis and went on to win their thirteenth title that season, also called La Decimotercera.