Men’s Player of a Year: a box for Ronaldo
Real Madrid’s talismanic No7 once again sent annals acrobatics as he desirous a Merengues to a initial Liga and European Cup double in 59 years; in so doing, they became a initial side to keep a UEFA Champions League title.
Ronaldo’s 2016/17 in numbers
Honours*: UEFA Champions League, Spanish Liga, FIFA Club World Cup
Domestic league
Appearances: 29
Goals: 25
Assists: 6
UEFA Champions League
Appearances: 13
Goals: 12
Assists: 6
Season summary
It was a deteriorate of transition for Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been shortlisted to be UEFA Men’s Player of a Year for a third time in 4 years. No longer a fleet-footed winger, hugging a touchline and violence defenders with withering pace, he has changed some-more centrally, apropos a ultimate goalscorer for Europe’s most-decorated club.
The Portugal brazen scored hat-tricks in a UEFA Champions League entertain and semi-finals before again stealing a uncover to see off Juventus in a final itself.
Six goals in his final 4 Liga appearances of a debate also helped Madrid reason off Barcelona on a home front. Although a pretension foe went down to a final day, Ronaldo had a final word, opening a scoring 90 seconds into a feat in Málaga to assure his side of a initial championship given 2012.
Ronaldo’s best moments
1) Club World Cup Glory
Madrid were trailing Kashima Antlers in their lean during a 2016 Club World Cup climax until Ronaldo took matters into his possess hands. He struck on a hour to send a diversion to additional time before adding dual some-more to turn a initial actor to strike a hat-trick in a final of a competition. He is also a Club World Cup’s corner all-time heading marksman alongside Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi – a standing he will be means to explain undisguised in Dec – and a usually actor to have won a foe with dual opposite clubs.
2) 100 adult twice in a week
April was nonetheless another record-breaking month for Ronaldo, who within a space of a week became a initial actor to net 100 UEFA bar foe goals and 100 UEFA Champions League goals. He brought adult a initial century with a double opposite Bayern on 12 April, and 6 days after his stunning hat-trick not usually done it 5 goals for a tie – knocking out a Bavarians in a routine – but also took him into three-figure domain for goals scored in a UEFA Champions League, organisation theatre to final.
3) UEFA Champions League glory
The 32-year-old done it back-to-back trebles in a semis, banishment Madrid to a 3-0 initial leg success over neighbours Atlético. The Merengues duly separated Diego Simeone’s group for a fourth deteriorate running. Come a Cardiff showpiece, Ronaldo pennyless a deadlock opposite Europe’s meanest defence, before removing Real Madrid’s clinching third as they marched to a 4-1 delight over Juventus.
The box for Ronaldo
For many players there would be a risk of a drop after winning a UEFA Champions League and UEFA EURO 2016 within a matter of months, though Ronaldo is not only any player.
Top scorer in a UEFA Champions League for a fifth true year, he was a arch designer of Madrid’s rare UEFA Champions League pretension counterclaim and one demeanour during a record books reveals only how good his performances were.
*UEFA Super Cup released as Ronaldo did not play in 2016 and a 2017 tie took place after a UEFA Men’s Player of a Year voting