Cristiano Ronaldo scored the decisive penalty in a nervy shoot-out to hand Real Madrid their 11th Champions League triumph. The Portuguese superstar later claimed he had a vision prior to the final of him netting the winner for the Los Blancos.
Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was a pivotal part of Real Madrid’s transformation under the tutelage of Zinedine Zidane through the second half of the campaign. And although he had a relatively quiet outing in the Champions League final against cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid, he stepped up when it mattered to fire home the decisive fifth penalty after Juanfran hit the post, to confirm an eleventh triumph in the competition for Real Madrid.
The 31-year-old later on in an interview to Sky Sports after the game stated how he had envisioned himself netting his side’s winning goal in the final and explained how it was the reasoning behind his decision to take the fifth penalty. Ronaldo was quoted as saying,”I had a vision and saw I was going to score the winning goal, so I asked Zidane to take the fifth penalty. It is a very special moment, and it is well deserved for the players and the fans, who’ve always been there for us.”
“Zidane has done a phenomenal job and he deserves it because he’s a gentleman and is humble, so I’m happy for him”, said the Portuguese regarding Zidane’s spectacular entry into mainstream club management.
In a tense evening where the San Siro played host to a Madrid Derby, Sergio Ramos and Yannick Carrasco scored for either sides to keep the tie level at the end of normal time. A lack of action in extra-time and with no break-through for both teams, the game headed into the cruel lottery of a penalty shoot-out. The ensuing battle in the penalty box saw seven penalties comfortably converted with Real Madrid taking four of them and Atletico with the other three. Experienced campaigner Juanfran missed his penalty as his strike lashed out off the side of the bar to leave Ronaldo to realize his vision of netting the winner for Real Madrid. And the Madeira-born starlet made no mistake as he slotted the ball with power and authority past Jan Oblak in goal to hand his side the title.
Ronaldo has endured yet another stellar season for the Los Blancos and with 16 goals to his name in this year’s competition, the legend of the man wrote itself a new chapter following his winner last evening. Time and again the Portuguese has found himself coming in on the rescue act for his side when it needed him the most and that, along with a winning mentality, hard work and hunger for success are part of the qualities that make him the great player that he has grown to be.