TURIN, Italy - Cristiano Ronaldo scored a perfect hat-trick inside 32 minutes as Juventus bounced back from their midweek Champions League exit by beating Cagliari 3-1 away in Serie A on Sunday.
The 36-year-old striker found the net with a header, a right-footed penalty and a left-foot shot and celebrated by pointing to his ear in an apparent response to recent criticism.
There are some crazy superstitions and lucky charms that soccer players make sure they have before any match they may play in. Some players have lucky underwear, some have to put a certain cleat on before the other and some have to step on the pitch with a certain foot first. These may seem out of the ordinary, but these are real things players make sure they stick to before each and every game or practice for good luck.
Algún día tenía que pasar. Todos sabemos que el cuerpo deja de producir momentos “¡guau!” a medida que envejece y los casos de Lionel Messi y Cristiano Ronaldo, dos de los futbolistas más grandes de la historia, no son la excepción. Si bien aún son capaces de un “Last Dance” o un último y maravilloso atardecer de otoño, la verdad triste y dura es que su época de dominio global ha llegado a su fin.
One day after the 10-year anniversary of Robin van Persie’s most ignominious moment as a footballer, Porto’s Mehdi Taremi was a victim of the exact same call. Once again, keeper Wojciech Szczesny witnessed the unthinkable in a game he started, and once again his team lost a game it looked certain to win. Only this time he could blame an American, not a shocking officiating decision.
Three of Europe's biggest derbies are on the buffet table for this weekend’s fixture list. If your life has been bereft of drama, emotion and goals, these games should be enough to quench your appetite.
TURIN — Cristiano Ronaldo marked his 600th league appearance with his 20th Serie A goal of the season as Juventus beat Spezia 3-0 on Tuesday to move within three points of second-placed AC Milan.
The Portuguese guided in his side's third goal late on after Alvaro Morata and Federico Chiesa had struck earlier in the second half to put Andrea Pirlo's side in a commanding position. Ronaldo, who also hit the post with an effort in the first half, became the first player to score at least 20 goals in each of the last 12 seasons in Europe's top five leagues.
It’s been 20 years to the day since Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut at the youth level for Portugal. He was only a 16-year-old at the time, but he was also just one year away from a meteoric rise through Sporting’s system that would see him become the first to play for the club’s U-16, U-17, U-18, B team and first team all within the same season.
Cristiano Ronaldo, like every other footballer on the planet, is underrated when it comes to headers.
FC Porto recibió en el Estádio do Dragão a la “Vecchia Signora”. Duelo que se antojaba interesante desde el vamos. Dos rivales que pretendían adquirir su boleto a la siguiente fase de la UEFA Champions League aferrándose a sus estilos de juego. Los portugueses, a poblar la medular, a recuperar la esférica y a sorprender con el contraataque. Por su parte, los italianos iban a aprovechar su condición de favoritos, su juego por las bandas y la tenencia del balón.
There was a thought — an expectation even — that Cristiano Ronaldo would return to Portugal and put on a show in his home country. Juventus, the only Italian champion in the last 10 years, would be expected to take care of business against a club from outside of Europe’s top five leagues. After all, the last time Ronaldo played Porto, he scored a goal that won him a Puskás Award.
But Porto does not care for your expectations. Porto has its own plans in the Champions League.