Cristiano Ronaldo: Video shows how he silenced his haters after losing race to Juanfran | OneFootball

Throughout his incredible professional career, Cristiano Ronaldo has always been associated with speed.

Even at the age of 36, the Manchester United superstar is renowned as a footballer capable of turning on the afterburners and bursting past opposing players.

On his second debut for the Red Devils versus Newcastle, Ronaldo did just that to latch onto Luke Shaw's through-ball and score to put the team 2-1 ahead at Old Trafford.

It's fair to say that on the rare occasions he gets up to full speed out on the pitch these days, the Portuguese is still one of the fastest players on the planet.

But back in late 2017, there were some who believed that Ronaldo's famous pace was finally deserting him.

In a game for Real Madrid against city rivals Atletico, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner lost to veteran right-back Juanfran in a race to the ball.

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The Sun even claimed Ronaldo was "on the decline" in their headline focused on the aforementioned incident.

But as he always seems to do, the leading scorer in men's international football silenced all his doubters less than a year later.

At the 2018 World Cup, Ronaldo clocked the fastest speed by any player at the tournament thanks to a blistering 34 km/h sprint in the memorable 3-3 draw with Iberian rivals Spain - a game in which he also scored an iconic hat-trick.

A football fan on Twitter has compiled both moments into one handy video and you can check out the brilliant footage below.

Video

It should be common knowledge by now, but in case you need reminding; never, ever doubt Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro.

The man has arguably played his best football since turning 30 and the fact he's still operating to a world-class standard at an age where most are considering retirement is mind-boggling.

If he can avoid serious injury, there's absolutely no reason why Ronaldo cannot continue wreaking havoc on defenders across the world into his 40s and beyond.

Who knows, he may even reach 1000 goals for club and country before hanging up his boots for good...

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When did Cristiano Ronaldo make his debut for Manchester United?

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