Cristiano Ronaldo sets sights on another Ballon d'Or after starring role in Real Madrid's Champions League triumph
Cristiano Ronaldo set his sights on making more history with Real Madrid after the Spanish giants became the first club to retain the Champions League .
Ronaldo scored twice – taking his career tally of goals for club and country to 600 – as Zinedine Zidane 's men thrashed Juventus 4-1 in Cardiff.
The Portuguese has now lifted the European Cup four times – three times for Madrid and once for Manchester United. But he wants more glory.
Ronaldo's former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson presented the No 7 with the man-of-the-match award.
And Ronaldo said: “It's another record for us and we deserve it.
“The goal now is to win the next Champions League as we won this one, showing that we're the best and taking advantage of the support we had right from the beginning.
CARDIFF, Wales – Chants of “Cristiano! Cristiano!” rang out from the half of the National Stadium of Wales bleached with white Real Madrid shirts. The Juventus supporting half was eerily quiet and a select few were even breaking the no-smoking rules to calm the nerves. Cristiano Ronaldo had forced them to reach inside their pockets and fumble for lighters.
Ronaldo had just scored his 600th goal for club and country. And somehow, more importantly, he had scored his second of the night and effectively hammered the stake in the Italians’ hearts, putting Madrid up by two goals to all but guarantee Real would become the first team to retain its crown in the Champions League era with Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Juve. Overall, it was Ronaldo and Real Madrid’s third Champions League trophy in the past four years, which is also something that has never been accomplished in the modern era of the sport.
To ironic gasps of surprise, Ronaldo was named Man of the Match after the final whistle.
When the lights shone brightest, Ronaldo stepped forward and proved exactly why seemingly every step he takes these days ends up being cause for a celebration of history. Arguably, he is the best player of the current generation, and this latest Champions League title legitimized that argument more than ever before.
While Lionel Messi may have been at one point the clear choice for that distinction, the debate has been muddied far more in recent years primarily because Ronaldo has continually turned up on the biggest European stages time and again.
Ronaldo’s second goal against Juventus also marked his 12th in Europe this season to eclipse Messi as the 2016-17 competition’s top scorer. Remarkably, the Portuguese has finished with the most Champions League goals for five consecutive seasons. In clearly measurable ways, Ronaldo has dominated Europe for the past half-decade.
After scoring five goals in the quarterfinals against Bayern Munich and following up with a hat trick to kill off Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the semifinals, Ronaldo wrapped up what seemed like a scripted European campaign. His two goals against Juventus didn’t seem to surprise anyone because this wasn’t a break from his character.
Ten goals from the quarterfinals through the final is the definition of clutch, and Ronaldo’s recent achievements in the grander scheme of his rivalry with Messi should not be overlooked. Considering the ridiculous conclusion he had to end the season, the question must be asked: Has Ronaldo finally surpassed Messi as the greatest player of their generation?
The answer is still unclear, as both players are still active. But as it stands, Ronaldo has accomplished enough over the last five years to pull even with his Barcelona rival.
With Real Madrid winning La Liga and the Champions League this season – and Ronaldo’s prominent role in both trophies – he will now inevitably collect his fourth Ballon d’Or in the past five years and fifth overall. Yes, Messi and Ronaldo would be level in that category, and at age 32, Ronaldo has transformed into an even more lethal scorer in big games than early in his career.
