Cristiano Ronaldo has once again shown why he is called the best player in the world, scoring consecutive hat-tricks in the UEFA Champions League this season. The last one came in his club Real Madrid’s outing against arch rivals Atletico Madrid in the Semi Final encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu, while the penultimate one was a show of skill and subtlety against the German Champions Bayern Munich. This also made him the first player to reach 100 goals in the UEFA Champions League.
Ronaldo, however, was not at his free-flowing best during the recent encounters. That did not stop him from scoring goals against two of the best sides in world football and lift his team to a rather comfortable position before the upcoming fixtures.
Ronaldo has been a master of his trade since his very childhood. He started his career with Sporting Lisbon in 1997 at the age of only 12. For that, he had to leave his home town Madeira and come to Lisbon. Ronaldo’s dribbling skills were good enough to impress Sporting’s first team manager Laszlo Boloni and he immediately promoted him to the youth side at the age of 16.
In 2002, Ronaldo made his professional debut in the Portuguese Primeira Liga and in his very first appearance, scored two goals in a 3-0 win against Moreirense. His mesmerising skills caught the eye of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who met with him to discuss a possible transfer in November.
However, he was signed by Manchester United in 2003, after The Red Devils were defeated by Sporting Lisbon in their encounter against the Portuguese side, with Ronaldo showing sparks of his brilliance that were good enough to impress the then club manager, Alex Ferguson. He was the first ever Portuguese player signed by Manchester United.
It was under the benevolent tutelage of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson that the Portuguese maestro started to flourish in his skills and play a crucial role in the team’s victories. He won 3 Premier League titles along with 1 UEFA Champions League during his stay at the Old Trafford. He also has an FA Cup and a Club World Cup to go with the aforementioned accolades.
In 2009, a world record transfer deal saw Ronaldo join the Spanish giants Real Madrid. Since then, he has been a talisman for Los Blancos and has won 1 La Liga, two Copa Del Rey’s and two UEFA Champions Leagues with them. His competitive rivalry with Lionel Messi, the mainstay of Real Madrid’s arch rivals Barcelona is one of the greatest and most cherished all over the World.
