Cristiano Ronaldo has been one of the greatest players in soccer history, alongside Messi, having scored a record number of goals in international and club soccer. Now he is close to retirement and recently said this to Vogue magazine after the 2026 FIFA World Cup: “This is probably my last year of football.” These were some of the best Cristiano Ronaldo matches during his illustrious playing career.
Real Madrid and Ronaldo put on a masterclass in this 3-0 rout of Juventus in Turin. He was undoubtedly the star of the show in this match as he scored two of Real Madrid’s three goals and set up the other. The match is mostly remembered for his stunning bicycle kick goal that put Real Madrid two goals ahead. It was truly a great goal that even some of the Juventus fans applauded.
Maybe that goal was why Ronaldo moved to Juventus after Real Madrid! It’s interesting to note that he joined Juventus only months after that match was played. The Juventus sporting director later confirmed this Champions League match sparked his club’s enthusiasm in signing him.
This classic Champions League quarter-final clash between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich was another of the best Ronaldo matches. Real Madrid were trailing Bayern Munich 1-0 when he scored the equalizer in the first half. Bayern scored again to level the tie 3-3 on aggregate.
Thereafter, it was the Ronaldo show in extra time. Ronaldo restored Real Madrid’s lead when he smashed the ball into the back of the net from inside the penalty box (but he was offside). Then he scored a third goal to complete his (dubious) Champions League hat-trick. With that goal, Ronaldo became the first player to score 100 goals in the Champions League. Real Madrid won the match 4-2 to reach the semi-finals.
Wenger has conceded that one of his biggest regrets was missing out on signing Ronaldo for Arsenal when the young player visited London to speak to the Gunners. He must have regretted that even more after Ronaldo destroyed Arsenal at the Emirates in one of his most polished Manchester Utd displays.
Arsenal were only 1-0 down after the first leg of this Champions League semi-final, but Ronaldo put Man Utd in a more commanding position when he set up Park’s first goal. He scored an audacious 40-yard free-kick to put Manchester Utd two goals ahead. He secured a place in the Champions League final by scoring Man Utd’s third goal from a devastating counter-attack that his cheeky back heel began. The Red Devils ran out 3-1 winners in this great Ronaldo match.
Ronaldo scored one of his most brilliant hat-tricks in this La Liga derby match against Atlético Madrid at the Vicente Calderón. He put Real Madrid ahead by scoring a breathtaking 35-yard free-kick that left the keeper rooted to the spot. His second rocket goal, scored from outside the box, was equally spectacular. Then Ronaldo wrapped up the hat-trick by scoring from the penalty box to make the final score Real Madrid 4, Atletico Madrid 1.
This Portugal vs Hungary encounter in the 2016 European Championship group stages was one of the best Ronaldo matches in international soccer. With Portugal trailing 1-0, he started a fightback by setting up Nani’s equalizing goal. Then he scored with a sublime backheel flick goal to level the game at 2-2. He headed in Portugal’s third goal to make the score 3-3. It was an equalizer that secured a crucial point that got Portugal through the group stage in a European Championship they won.
This was Ronaldo’s best El Clásico match against Barcelona. Real Madrid visited the Nou Camp needing at least a point to help them secure the title. With the score level at 1-1, he latched onto a great through ball from Mesut Özil to slot the ball into the back of Barcelona’s net from an angle. He then ran to the corner flag with a memorable ‘calm-down’ hand celebration in front of the stunned Barcelona fans. It was a goal that effectively secured the La Liga title for Real Madrid as the match ended 2-1.
Those best Ronaldo matches show us why the Portuguese superstar is a legendary soccer player. He produced some breathtaking displays in those games to secure crucial results for Real Madrid, Manchester Utd, and Portugal. They were matches in which he was quite simply too hot to handle.
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