Cristiano Ronaldo's Biggest Moments On and Off The Field

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers of all time and his entire career is filled with extraordinary moments. Starting from the exceptional 40-yard stunner to reaching 900 official goals, CR7 just doesn’t cease to amaze. The legend has faced some heartbreaking incidents as well as legal troubles in his personal life which have heavily impacted his professional career. The Portuguese star had come out on top every single time and even at the age of 39, he is thrashing records left and right. 

1. Inaugural Puskas in 2009

Cristiano Ronaldo came to Manchester United for the first time in 2003 for around $13.5 million fee from Sporting CP. It was the biggest record transfer in England for a teenager. 18-year-old Ronaldo lived up to the expectations of the Red Devil fans but his biggest moment of glory came in a UEFA Champions League (UCL) match against Porto in 2009. 

He picked up the ball outside the box around a 40-yard distance and shot it at the top corner. We have seen power and strength from Roberto Carlos before but this was truly unexpected. It won him the inaugural Puskas Award for goal of the year and sealed him as one of the superstars in football.

2. Winning Header in Copa Final 2011

Real Madrid has dominated entire Europe for as long as anyone remembers but it was not in the best shape when Ronaldo Arrived. Barcelona was taking everything home and Madrid had a dry run for two seasons after his arrival. Something great was required and Ronaldo had to justify his $100+ million transfer fee at Los Blancos as well. 
Boy did he deliver and that too in style at a Copa Del Rey final against the arch-rivals with a smooth and towering header. The beautiful pass from Angel Di Maria that turned into a goal showed the world that Madrid is still a force to be reckoned with even against one of the best teams in the world.

3. UEFA Euro Cup with Portugal

Despite their incredible club performances, both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been taunted by football lovers for not being able to win any trophies with their countries. Well, Ronaldo was the first one to break the jinx when he won the Euro Cup for Portugal against France in 2016. 

Cristiano, as a captain, played a pivotal role in the tournament and was hailed as the biggest hero in the world of football. He later won the UEFA Nations League for Portugal in 2019. Some might argue that winning the World Cup and two Copa America is a bigger score but they are just jealous people blindly worshiping a false GOAT. 

4. Fifth Ballon d’Or Award

Ronaldo won his first Ballon d'Or Award in 2008 when he won both the English Premier League (EPL) and UCL with Manchester United. It was just the beginning as people in the world of football realized that he would go on to win bigger things. 

Fast Forward to 2017 when the Real Madrid champ won his fifth Ballon d’Or. He ruled both in the domestic league and European championships to silence his haters. The only person in the history of football to win more Ballon d’Ors is Lionel Messi with eight in his cabinet. (Please ignore the last sentence, it might be grammatically incorrect.)

5. Bicycle Kick Against Juve

Real Madrid towering over its opponents in a Champions League match, especially the knock-out ones, is a cliche site for any fans. Ronaldo already bested Gianluigi Buffon once early in the away leg but it was his second goal that stole the hearts of fans from both clubs.

Dani Carvajal delivered an incredible pass from outside the box but it was a bit high to take a shot. Both teams were thinking about what to do while Ronaldo threw his body 2.38 meters from the ground and performed the cleanest bicycle kick. Buffon, the two teams, and the entire stadium were awestruck with the goal. Zinedine Zidane’s reaction from the dugout further immortalized the moment. 

6. Legal trouble

Not everything was going smoothly with the Portuguese legend as he was caught up in a rape charge. An American woman filed a lawsuit against Ronaldo for having forced his way into her bed and there was a lot of courtroom drama. The ex-Madrid star reportedly chose to pay the $375,000 to the woman to buy her silence but it scarred the image of the legend for good. 

However, this was not the only legal trouble Ronaldo faced as he was sentenced for tax evasion to a huge fine of $6.5 million plus interest and jail time of less than two years. Some reports speculate that he had to leave the Spanish capital and join Juventus in 2018 for the same reason. 

7. Leaving Europe

After his move to Juventus in 2018 for around $118 million, Ronaldo returned to his former club Manchester United in 2021. He was riding high on glory in the first few matches but soon suffered a loss of rhythm. 

Cristiano was facing a lot of roadblocks as there was visible tension between him and Manager Eric Ten Hag. He wasn’t on the best of terms with his United teammates either. In the midst of this came a heartbreak as he lost one of his twins during childbirth. The overall situation didn’t do any good to his performance leading Man U to terminate his contract at the end of 2022.
Ronaldo decided to leave Europe and join the Saudi league for Al-Nassr, scraping any chances for a Ballon d’Or in the future. 

8. UCL All-Time Top Scorer

Ronaldo might be done with UEFA’s premier club championship but they are not done with him yet. In August 2024, UEFA honored CR7 with another top award. Mr. Champions League was present in Monaco for the UCL Draw of the 2024/2025 season where he received the UEFA Champions League All-Time Top Scorer Award. 
He is undoubtedly the biggest player in the history of UCL and this is yet another feather on his crown. Cristiano won his first UCL with the Red Devils followed by four more times with Los Blancos. His three back-to-back UCL wins in 2016, 17, and 18 helped him tie the record for most UCL’s won, 5. That’s one more than… Ahem, you know who. 

9. 900 Official Goals

Cristiano Ronaldo, at the age of 39, seems unstoppable on the pitch. He scored his 900th official goal on 5th September 2024 and the best part is that he scored it while wearing his national Jersey. 
Ronaldo has already won the inaugural UEFA Nations League and he is not only eyeing to win the trophy again but also reach 1,000 goals in his career. Is there anything CR7 can’t do?

10. YouTube Golden Button

Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer recently opened his personal YouTube channel. UR Cristiano started its journey on August 21, 2024, and asked fans to catch up with a small note on Instagram. 
“My @YouTube channel is finally here! SIUUUbscribe and join me on this new journey,”
The fans happily obliged as his channel broke records garnering 1 million subscribers in just 90 minutes. He showed off the Golden Play Button celebrating with the kids. Currently, he has over 64 million subs and only time will tell if can surpass Mr. Beast’s 319 million. 

Special Mention: Bust in Madeira

There is no bigger reward than being honored by your country and Portugal made sure to do their best to offer respect and acknowledgment towards the superstar. Or did they? 
The country officials revealed a bronze bust of Ronaldo at the Madeira airport. While it was an incredible gesture, the fans couldn’t help but point out how different it actually looked from the footballer. Unfortunately, after 15 months, the statue was replaced by another one at the request of Cristiano’s family. 
On that note, CR7 has a life-size, full statue at his birthplace Funchal, Madeira. It shows Ronaldo in his signature celebration pose and the words “Best Player In The World” can be found on the pedestal.