Year Ender 2019: Cristiano Ronaldo Shines With NBA-Style Goal, Italian Serie A and UEFA Nations League Wins This Year
Towards the end of 2019, there were some fitness issues with this giant of a footballer, but he overcame all of those to get back to doing what he does best – put the ball in the back of the net. Here's a look at Cristiano Ronaldo's top moments of 2019.
It is recap time and the player in foucs is none other than Cristiano Ronaldo! The Juventus forward is one of the topmost athletes in the sporting world, and just like many of his peers, 2019 was kind on him. We saw him stun the football world with his NBA-style goal vs Sampdoria recently and then of course, Ronaldo scripted history with numerous wins like UEFA Nations League and Italian Serie A wins. His fans witnessed their footballing hero scale new heights on the football pitch and win plenty of honours. While individual awards deserted him thanks to Virgil van Dijk and Lionel Messi, there were plenty of records shattered by the Portuguese skipper. Cristiano Ronaldo remained unfazed by what challenge was thrown at him and continued to perform at the same level for both club and country. Towards the end of 2019, there were some fitness issues with this giant of a footballer, but he overcame all of those to get back to doing what he does best – put the ball in the back of the net. Here's a look at Cristiano Ronaldo's top moments of 2019.
Italian Serie A Win
After conquering England and Spain, Cristiano Ronaldo won a league title in Italy with his new club Juventus. This title is particularly special as the three countries are considered the best in Europe and highlight what a conquest the Portuguese forward has had in his career. He is the only player to have won league titles in England, Spain and Italy.
UEFA Nations League Win
His arch-rival Lionel Messi may be yet to open his account when it comes to winning a trophy with the national team, but Cristiano Ronaldo added another to his tally. He led his Portuguese team to a win over the Netherlands in the finals of the UEFA Nations League. With this win, he immortalised himself in the national team's football history as the skipper who led the team to two trophies.
Dismantling Atletico Madrid
Cristiano Ronaldo always finds a way to hurt Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League and 2019 was no different. The Madrid based side led the tie 2-0 when it visited Turin only to be greeted by a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick to knock them out.
700 Goals For Club And Country
When Cristiano Ronaldo scored in a 2-1 defeat against Ukraine, the goal was special as it was his 700th for club and country. In the process, he joined the likes of Josef Bican, Romario, Pele, Ferenc Puskas and Gerd Muller in the 700-club. He currently has 99 goals for Portugal, which is the most for the country in terms of an active player.
NBA Goal Versus Sampdoria
Cristiano Ronaldo once again proved he is superhuman with a 2.56 m jump in the air to score against Sampdoria. He hung in the air for close to 2 seconds to leave fans around the world speechless. The likes of Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand are right about Ronaldo when they say his desire to succeed is like no other footballer which helps him achieve these impossible feats.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a phenomenal 2019 and now has his eyes sets on winning the Champions League with Juventus in the coming year.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 21, 2019 02:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).