Cristiano Ronaldo at 40 – Seven iconic moments from an unforgettable career | OneFootball

Cristiano Ronaldo is celebrating a milestone birthday today with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner welcoming in his 40th year.

Ronaldo remains a phenomenon, continuing to score goals at an unprecedented rate at a time when most players have long hung up their boots. He’s the greatest goalscorer in the history of Real Madrid, Portugal, the Champions League and international men’s football to name just a few of his incredible achievements.

As CR7 celebrates turning 40, we’ve remembered seven of his most iconic career moments.

First Ballon d’Or win (2008)

Ronaldo made no secret of his desire to become the best. In 2008, he was recognised as world football’s finest talent for the first time. A spectacular season at Manchester United saw Ronaldo inspire the side to Premier League and Champions League success. His 42 goals, including Manchester United’s in the latter final win over Chelsea in Moscow, earned him a maiden Ballon d’Or.

The Ballon d’Or is regarded as football’s greatest individual honour and the image of Ronaldo clutching the Golden Ball became a familiar one in the seasons to come.

World-record transfer to Real Madrid (2009)

Sir Alex Ferguson fought to keep Ronaldo from the clutches of Real Madrid but there was a sense of inevitability about a transfer long in the making. As Florentino Perez launched the second wave of his Galactico project in 2009, there was one name at the top of his wish list.

An £80m offer shattered the previous world record and saw Ronaldo sign for the Spanish superpower. Ronaldo was the face of a new-look Real Madrid, one ready to battle Barcelona for the status of world football’s best club side. With Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in El Clásico opposition, the stage was set for an unforgettable era.

Copa del Rey final winner (2011)

Barcelona’s brilliance meant success was not instant for Ronaldo at Real Madrid. But he was the difference as Los Blancos beat their eternal rivals to win the Copa del Rey in 2011.

A magnificent leap and towering header – a trademark of Ronaldo’s evolution into a goalscoring great – earned Real Madrid an extra-time win over Barcelona and Ronaldo’s first piece of silverware in Spain.

Becomes Real’s all-time leading scorer (2015)

Real Madrid has been home to some of the finest footballers to have ever lived. Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas and Raul sit among the club’s great goalscorers, each were left in the wake of Ronaldo’s remarkable exploits.

Ronaldo surpassed Raul as Real Madrid’s leading scorer with a goal against Levante in October 2015, eclipsing the icon’s 323 goals for the club. Across nine seasons in Spain, Ronaldo averaged better than a goal per game. He eventually departed for Juventus in 2018 having scored 450 goals in just 434 appearances. It’s a record that looks unlikely to be beaten.

Leads Portugal to first major tournament success (2016)

One slight aimed at Ronaldo was a lack of international success with Portugal. After finishing as runner-up at Euro 2004 during his first tournament with the national team, Ronaldo had formed part of a talented Portuguese team that had flattered to deceive.

In 2016, he answered his critics by leading Portugal to success at the European Championship. Ronaldo scored three times at the tournament, including the opener in the semi-final win over Wales. Though the final ended in personal disappointment as he left the field injured after 25 minutes, his teammates got over the line against hosts France to secure Portugal’s maiden international success.

Champions League centurion (2018)

Ronaldo often defined the Champions League during his peak seasons, with enough ‘I’m him’ moments to last a lifetime.

He became the first footballer to reach 100 goals in the Champions League with two goals against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16. In the next round, he delivered an astonishing moment with an audacious overhead kick as Juventus were beaten in Turin.

A goal so good, it had manager Zinedine Zidane in disbelief and the Juventus crowd applauding.

Breaks men’s international scoring record (2021)

Ronaldo’s records continued coming and in 2021 he set a new landmark on the international stage.

A last-gasp double to down the Republic of Ireland in World Cup qualification saw Ronaldo overtake Iran’s Ali Daei as the highest-scoring player in men’s international football. His record-breaking 110th goal for Portugal came with an 89th-minute equaliser, before striking a winner in the sixth minute of stoppage time to complete a 2-1 comeback win.

He currently has 135 goals in 217 caps – and counting.

Read – Ranking the highest scoring seasons of Cristiano Ronaldo’s club career

See more – Iconic Performances: Ronaldo treble kills Atletico’s Champions League dreams

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