Today, when we think of Ronaldo scoring we think of Ronaldo’s trademark celebration, in which he jumps, spins, and goes super saiyan. He does it nearly every time he scores, and he has made it his trademark. People across the world mimic it, even professional athletes in other sports like Odell Beckham Jr. But, this was not the first original celebration that Ronaldo invented.
A few years ago, Ronaldo invented a different celebration in the same vein (pun intended). If the above celebration is a symbol of his superhuman athleticism, then the below celebration emphasizes one single aspect of that athleticism: power.
More than what it emphasizes, it is a reminder of how different of a player Ronaldo was four years ago. He was CR7, the winger, the player that Real Madrid bought to challenge Lionel Messi: athletic, lightening quick, and capable of scoring from anywhere. If Messi was the phenomenon in an unassuming package, Ronaldo was the player chiseled by a Greek god to win.
His game against Osasuna that day was vintage CR7. He was blistering, burning defenders and dismissing teammates in boring positions. He tried to make things happen, and it was breathtaking to watch at times. Today, Ronaldo plays more as a poaching striker. Then, Ronaldo tried to beat you single handedly, and succeeded.
Watch:
The leg point, as I call it, was the perfect celebration for CR7. It pointed (again, pun intended) to the fact that he just might be the greatest athlete in the world. It’s too bad he never does it anymore, because many casual fans have no idea it exists. Which is incredibly ironic, because the Ronaldo that performed it is the reason why many of those casual fans starting following the game. Just like Ronaldo has left the leg point behind, so have casual fans forgotten .
As Ronaldo attempts to reignite his and Real Madrid’s season under new manager Zinedine Zidane, we have seen flashes of that old Ronaldo. The team on whole has played with a new lease on life going forward. If Madrid’s attack was choked under Rafa Benitez, it is taking great gulps of air under Zidane. We can again celebrate the best of Madrid and of Ronaldo Ronaldo, past:
and present:
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