Cristiano Ronaldo finally has his defining moment
With one swing of the boot, Cristiano Ronaldo may finally have his defining moment. It was just a penalty kick, something he has done dozens of times before, but this one won Real Madrid the Champions League and became another indelible moment in the history of the world's preeminent club competition.
Real Madrid just needed one more successful kick to win the penalty shootout and their record 11th Champions League title. It worked out perfectly for the Merengues too, with Ronaldo due up to shoot. And he buried his kick. The superstar saw the ball hit the back of the net and ripped his shirt off, as he does, as his teammates mobbed him and the San Siro erupted. It was a 10-second span that will be written into history, never forgotten, for the club and the competition. But also for Ronaldo.
Ronaldo's legacy is complicated, to say the least. He's unquestionably one of the greatest players of all time, but it seems like no matter what he does, it's not enough. He can bag upwards of 50 goals in a season, but he's lambasted by some as too selfish. He can win the Champions League (he's done it three times now), but his Real Madrid teams are criticized for being a step below Barcelona. He's won the Ballon d'Or three times, but he's not as good as Lionel Messi.
It's impossible for Ronaldo to win. Simply being incredible isn't enough. It never is.
In this Champions League final, he actually wasn't incredible. He wasn't near his best. You can chalk it up to a lot of things, from the great work of Atletico Madrid to take away his space and touches, as well as the pace of the match, which didn't let him ever get going at full speed. There were long stretches where he was nearly invisible as other Merengues took center stage.
Gareth Bale was terrific, continuing his habit of shining in European competition, no matter how much he is slandered. And Luka Modric was his typically brilliant self, while Casemiro proved to be the key cog in Real Madrid's stopping of the Atleti counterattack and Sergio Ramos netted the side's only goal. Zinedine Zidane's team were truly excellent, dealing with the physical and tactically brilliant Atleti side as best a team can. But in the end, it was Ronaldo.
It didn't matter that Ronaldo took a back seat for much of the match. It worked out so that when Real Madrid needed to make one penalty kick to win the match, he was the man to take it. And he stroked it beautifully.
Finally, Ronaldo had his definining moment. He had it on the biggest stage in club soccer, with the entire crowd at the historic San Siro focused solely on him and TV cameras beaming the match to hundreds of millions around the world.
Four steps and a belted shot to the goalkeeper's left. It was struck as cleanly as can be and Ronaldo's shirt may as well have been off before the ball hit the back of the net.
.@Cristiano Ronaldo nets the winning PK to help Real seal a 2nd #UCL title in 3 years. @HeinekenSoccer #UCLfinal https://t.co/l4IL1lGZHy
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) May 28, 2016
So Ronaldo didn't play his best match. So this was more of a team effort than so many other matches Ronaldo's side has won before. So this wasn't the best of an all-time great player.
Nothing about Ronaldo's career is straightforward and clear. Maybe that's how his legacy will be written. Well, as that and as one of the all-time greats. That can't be disputed.
Ronaldo is knocked down so much and disrespected, no matter how many amazing things he does, that it's only right he finally get his perfect moment at the tail end of a match where he was far from perfect.
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