9 years at Real Madrid: 9 most iconic CR7 moments

 Ronaldo is on his way to Juventus

Last week marked the ninth anniversary of Cristiano Ronaldo's record-breaking £80 million transfer from Manchester United which made him the most expensive player in the world at the time. This week we received official confirmation that the five-time Ballon d'Or leave will leave for Juventus, in a deal worth £88 million.
CR7 arrived at the Bernabeu as the most promising talent in the football world. He has since only gone on to smash a horde of individual records in the process , taking his game to an unparalleled level and earning the 'G.O.A.T' tag.
The Portuguese winger was a terror for the best of defenders in the La Liga and across the world in Champions League games. With some flashy yet effective skills, a remarkable eye-for-goal, the flair to beat defenders on will and most importantly an incredible mental fortitude, Ronaldo confirmed his place as one of the best players ever to play the game.
In the 438 games that he has played over 9 years, he has scored an unfathomable 450 goals for Real Madrid. Here we look back and celebrate some of his greatest moments in a Blancos shirt.

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#9. Winning the fabled Pichichi

Ronaldo poses with his third Pichichi

Although the La Liga race was fiercely contested between arch rivals Barcelona and Madrid in Ronaldo's first two seasons at the club, the team from Spain's capital fell short on both occasions.
However, Ronaldo was lighting up the scoring sheets from the word go. Donning the number 9 jersey, he scored 26 league goals in his first campaign. He then went on to set the league record in 2010-11 in just his second season by netting 41 times in just 34 games. This won him his first Pichichi trophy - the coveted trophy awarded to the top scorer of the La Liga.

#8. Trio of Club World Cups

Ronaldo with his third Club World Cup

With Ronaldo leading from the front, Real Madrid didn't just conquer Spain or Europe. They extended their domestic and European domination to the whole world by winning the premier international worldwide club event organised by FIFA. The Club World Cup pits the winners of the continental championships from different continents (Madrid from Europe as UEFA Champions League winners) against each other.

Madrid won the European conquest four times with Ronaldo. They got an opportunity to prove themselves to the world on three occasions (fourth in 2018-19) and they proved triumphant all three times. By winning in the 2014, 2016 and 2017 editions, Real Madrid equalled the record for most wins in the history of the competition with FC Barcelona. CR7 holds the record here for scoring the most at the event - 7 goals. In 2016, he even scored a hat-trick in the final to win the tournament for Madrid.



#7. Goal vs Malmo

Ronaldo celebrates his milestone goal

Ronaldo netted home a fine straightforward assist from Lucas Vazquez against Malmo. Surely not a big deal right? Well, the goal also etched his name into the history books as the best player to have played for Madrid. With that goal, he overtook Raul's scoring record, a record which seemed impossible to break - 323 goals with Real Madrid.

That goal wasn't such an important moment in terms of the tie, but it speaks profoundly of what Ronaldo was at Real Madrid - their all-time top scorer.



#6. The overhead kick against Juventus

Ronaldo with a sensation bicycle kick

Ronaldo has scored 107 goals for Real Madrid and 120 overall in the Champions League. Some were insignificant. Some ordinary, some average, some nice, some decisive, some breathtaking, some impossible and then one like his 119th goal. The goal in Turin in the quarter-finals against Gianluigi Buffon and Juventus. It was perhaps CR7's greatest ever in the competition: an overhead kick from just inside the penalty area.
Ronaldo had been looking for a bicycle kick goal during his whole career and nobody expected it would take this long to arrive. He was nearly two metres off the ground and thundered in a powerful cross on a Madrid counter with a truly outrageous acrobatic effort.
Ronaldo had put his side up by three goals. He wheeled away in celebration to the corner of the stadium where he was being jeered. However, the Juventus fans rose to their feet and applauded the rival player out of respect for his sporting brilliance. Cristiano reacted graciously by holding his hands up, and gesturing to the home faithfuls.



#5. Copa del Rey winner vs Barcelona in 2011

Cristiano celebrates with Arbeloa after scoring

Despite having a great start to his Real Madrid career, Ronaldo was often criticized for going missing in the big games. His critics often blasted him for failing to deliver when it mattered; he silenced each and every one of them with his performance in the Copa del Ray final of 2011.
Uncharacteristically, the fiercely fought El Clasico ended in a stalemate after 90 minutes. Real Madrid were seeking their 18th Copa del Rey and their first major trophy in three seasons. It had been 18 long years since they last won the tournament, now was the time for a hero to emerge. There was just man who could grab the headlines.
With just 90 seconds remaining in the first half of exra-time, Ronaldo rose above the likes of Pique and Mascherano and nodded the ball beyond Jose Pinto from Angel Di Maria's cross. This being the only goal of the game helped give the Los Blancos their first trophy of the CR7 era.
The Bernabeu giants would use that victory as a springboard for future success.


#4. La Decima - second Champions League medal.

Cristiano poses with the trophy alongside Pepe and Coentrao

The former Sporting Lisbon player was hugely influential in Manchester United's Champions League triumph of 2008 and their march to the final in 2009.

Since winning their 9th European crown in 2002, the Bernebeu giants were obsessed with completing the 'la Decima'. Florentino Perez convinced Sir Alex Ferguson's best kept possesson to the Spanish capital to do just that: Fire the Spanish side to their 10th European title.
He ensured it would happen and it did in the 2014-15 season. It took him 5 full years to complete it, and complete he did. Along with Bale and Benzema, Cristiano formed the much famed 'BBC' attack that terrorized sides across Europe.
Ronaldo inspired Real's heroic march to the finals with 16 goals, where he equalled Messi's record of 14 strikes in a single campaign before the semi-finals. He scored 2 in Munich against the Bavarians to go past the Argentine before adding one more in the final to take his tally to 17 in just 11 appearances.
CR7 was the catalyst of the campaign. Unfortunately, his performance against city rivals Atletico was rather subdued. However, he did have the final say as he scored the final goal of the game in the 4-1 victory. It was a career-defining goal in one of football's greatest chapters.


#3. Snatching the La Liga title away from Barcelona at the Camp Nou

Cristiano scored in the 1-2 victory at Camp Nou in 2012

Barcelona and Real Madrid went into the El Clasico of 2012 at the Camp Nou with the La Liga on the line. The two teams were 4 points adrift with 5 games remaining. A Barcelona win would have narrowed the margin to just one point.

The Camp Nou Clasico was locked into a close tussle that would eventually decide the winners of the 2011-2012 season. The game wasn't just like any other El-Clasico, not about the same usual fiercely contested rivalry or about bragging rights, but about the title. The Los Blancos had not graced the winner's medal since 2008 and Portuguese boss Jose Mourinho was having one of his best seasons with the club. Madrid had to capitalize -it was now or never.
Sami Khedira got Madrid off to a dream start by capitalizing on a horrendous mistake by Carles Puyol. However, Alexis Sanchez leveled the tie after coming in as a substitute. The Camp Nou was buzzing and sensed a comeback. However, the Madrid number 7 fetched a fine curling cross from Ozil and smashed it past an awestruck Victor Valdes to seal the title for Perez and co. He unveiled his trademark trademark 'keep-calm' celebration and silenced the 70,000 odd fans.
It was a hallmark goal - it signified Ronaldo's re-entry into the Ballon d'Or race and the return of Real Madrid in Spain's top flight. Most importantly, it was a victory that the Bernabeu giants went on to use as a springboard for future success.


#2. Hat-trick vs Wolfsburg

Ronaldo vs Wolfsburg

Ronaldo has 48 hat-tricks to his name and 7 of these trebles have come in the Champions League. The last one was the one he smashed against his local foes in the semi-finals of the 2016-17 season. However there was yet another hat-trick that was more crucial - the one against Wolfsburg in the 2015/16 season.

Madrid's beginning to the season was nothing but horrendous. Under Rafa Benitez, they were destroyed 4-0 at home by Enrique's Barcelona and were long out of the race for the La Liga. To make matters worse, they were eliminated from the Copa del Rey for fielding an ineligible player. When Zidane took over, they were left with just one title to play for, the hardest of them all - the Champions League. However, it seemed like a more humiliating ousting was impending for Perez's club.
An early quarter-finals exit to a team that was placed 8th in the Bundesliga was on the cards for Ronaldo and co as they were handed a shock 2-0 defeat at the Volkswagen Arena. Their 2015/16 season had disaster written all over save for a certain Cristiano. For Los Blancos to progress they would have to score three goals and keep a clean sheet. With Ronaldo around, Madrid were definitely down, but no exactly out.
Unsurprisingly, he was ever the man for the occasion. Under some enormous pressure, he proved his mettle yet again with a scintillating hat-trick ensuring Madrid's progress to the semi-finals and their eventual 11th Champions League title. CR7 stepped up to the occasion and scored a hat-trick of diverse goals - first from a deflected cross, second - a deft header and the third - a 25 yard free-kick.

#1. Fifth Ballon d'Or

Five time recipient of the Ballon d'Or

There have been some epic comebacks in football. Belgium's recent 3-2 win over Japan, Barcelona's extraordinary 6-1 demolition of PSG to overturn a 4 goals deficit and Liverpool's Istanbul miracle were a few astonishing comebacks. However, the greatest comeback ever is Ronaldo's individual comeback against his arch Ballon d'Or rival Lionel Messi.

The Sporting Lisbon prodigy had just 1 Ballon D’or when Messi won his fourth in 2012. Ronaldo then came back spectacularly from 3 awards down to equal his rival Messi's figures. He won the award in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017 to make it 5 all.

En-route to his fifth award, Ronaldo took Madrid to their 12th Champions League title and their first La Liga since 2012. He had a stellar year as he scored 42 goals for Real in all competitions after helping Portugal win the Euro 2016.