3.Back-heel assist to Karim Benzema vs Granada, LaLiga 2014/15
You can watch the assist here.
It was one of those days when Cristiano would first get the important opener in an away game, and would then have his fun on the pitch while looking to increase his tally at the same time. He would create dangerous opportunities for James and Carvajal, who couldn’t convert the chances. The right-back skied a clever back-heel pass from Ronaldo, denying the Portuguese of a good assist.
But Ronaldo wouldn’t have been disappointed at the end of the day as he returned the favour to Karim Benzema, who assisted his first goal, by assisting him with a magnificent backheel pass. He received a pass from James with his back facing the goal, but still found the Frenchman with the back-heel pass, and released him onto the goal at the perfect time, just when Benzema got back into an onside position.
He just knew that Benzema was there, and got an idea of the situation with the slightest of looks. This well-calculated assist just shows how intelligent a player he is, and how he is mindful of his surroundings.
4. The night he decided to torment Kompany and company, UCL 2012/13
You can watch the performance here.
Ronaldo had already battered City in the return fixture at the Bernabeu with an injury-time winner, but that wasn’t enough for him. This time, it wasn’t the turn for Ronaldo the goalscorer, but for Ronaldo, the speedy trickster.
He simply tormented every Manchester City defender on the pitch and replied to every whistle from the fans in the Etihad with his exploits. This performance had it all, dribbles, skills, combinational plays, a shot cleared off the line, and dangerous chances created. It just lacked a goal or assist, but it was still an amazing performance, which reminds everyone that Ronaldo doesn’t just need goals and assists to leave an impact. Maybe it was this performance from Ronaldo, that made Kompany say a lot of respectful words for Ronaldo.
Ronaldo would’ve been disappointed by this performance because he couldn’t win the game for his team. But still, it is a performance that speaks loads about his determination and character.