There is always a constant debate about who is the best player in the world. The argument is always between Cristiano and Messi,but some also like to include the likes of Neymar or Mbappe. However, in spite of whoever the best is,there is no question thatCristiano Ronaldois one of the greatest playersin the history of the game.
His individual and collective achievements speak for themselves. Cristiano has had many iconic moments throughout his career, but we want to focus on his achievements throughout the past couple of seasons.
Most of theawardson our list are individual, but there some collective accomplishments alsoincluded. Sit back and enjoy Cristiano Ronaldo’s 25 most successful achievements since 2015.
25.UEFA Nations Leaguechampion
Cristiano lifting the UEFA Nations League trophy.
This may not be Cristiano’s most unique trophy, but he and his Portuguese teammates were determined to win the 2018/2019 UEFA Nations League, which was the tournaments inaugural season.Portugalqualified for the Nations League Finals, which is a knockout tournament consisting of thegroup winners of League A. If they needed any additional motiviation, the finals would be played in Portugal
After beating Switzerland in the semifinals, they took on the Netherlands in the final. It would be a close game, but Portugal would go on to win1-0and Cristiano would add anothertrophy to his already incredible list of achievements.
24.Serie A titles
Cristiano with the Serie A title.
Although Juventus have won consecutive Serie A titles since 2011, the 2018/2019 edition was Cristiano’s first league truimphwith the Italian club. As is no surprise, Ronaldo was instrumental in leading Juve to the title with several clutch moments in big games.He finishedtheseason with a total of 21 goals and was namedSerie Aplayer of the season.
This title would also make Cristiano one of the select few players who have won a league title in three different countries. He won three Premier League titles while playing forManchester United and twoin La Ligawith Real Madrid. He also helped Juventus to retain the title in the 2019/2020 season.
23.UEFA Nations Leaguesemifinal performance
He scored a hat-trick in the Nations League semifinal against Switzerland.
After finishingtop of their group, Portugal qualifed for the Nations League Finalswherethey wouldtake on Switzerlandin thesemifinal game. With the finalsbeing played inPortugal, they were fully determined to win the inaugural tournament.
Although Portugal were playing in their backyard, Switzerland were determined to get to the final and do what they could to win. However, Cristiano made sure that would not happen and wenton to score a hat-trick as Portugal won 3-1 to advance to the final where they would take on the Netherlands, who beat England in their semifinal match.
22. Spanish Supercup goal vsBarcelona
Cristiano’s celebrationafter scoring against Barcelona.
Real Madrid began the2017/2018 season taking onBarcelona in the Spanish Supercup, with thefirst leg being played in Camp Nou.Even though it is a summer competition, both teams wanted to start the campaign on a high by winning thefirst trophy of the season and beating their historic arch rivals. Ronaldo would start the game onthe bench as he had just returnedfrom his vacation the previous week.
However, with the score tied at1-1, Cristiano would come on in the second half and completely change the game. After a quick counter attack, Cristiano found himself on the edge of the box and would score a brilliant top corner goal to give Madrid a1-2 lead and would celebrate by showing jersey to the opposing fans. Although he would be red carded later in the game, Real Madrid wenton to win 1-3 and would eventually go on to claim the Spanish Supercup.
21.La Liga hat-trickvsAtlético de Madrid
Atlético de Madrid was one of Cristiano’s favorite La Liga opponents.
An encounter between Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid is always enticing. However, the first round matchup in the 2016/2017 season was extra important as it was the final La Liga game played at Atlético’s Vicente Calderón Stadium and they were looking to close it out in the best way possible by beating their arch city rivals.
Despite the hype and expectations, Cristiano would quickly quiet the Atlético fans by scoring the first goal of the game and would go on to geta hat-trick.Real Madrid thrashed Atlético 0-3 as they continued their quest to win La Liga.
20.La Liga title 2016/2017
Ronaldo celebrates after winning La Liga with Real Madrid.
In the 2016/2017 season, Real Madrid were on a mission to win La Liga, a title they had not won since2012. This would be an interesting campaign for Cristiano as he would miss the first month due to the injury he suffered in the Euro 2016 final against France andthen his minutes weresignificantly throughout the seasondue to Zidane’s rotation policy.
Although Ronaldo would not be named the top La Liga scorer, it would be one of his best seasons with Madrid and he constantly appearedin bigmoments. Some of his best performances included a hat-trick against Atlético deMadrid in the Calderón Stadium, some late goals against Las Palmas to get an important point, and two vital goals against Sevilla. Ronaldo would score a total of 25 goals and Madrid would win the league on the final day against Málaga.
19. Most international appearances
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Even at 38, Ronaldo managed to break records. With his presence in Portugal’s comfortable 4-0 win over Liechtenstein in the Euro qualifiers in March 2023, he reached 197 caps, becoming the player with the most international appearances.
The record belonged toBader Al-Mutawa, but Ronaldo made sure to take it away from him. To make things even better, CR7 bagged a brace in that commanding victory.
18.ComebackvsWolfsburg in CL
His hat-trick against Wolfsburg helped Madrid through to the semifinals.
In the 2015/2016 Champions League, Real Madrid took on Wolfsburg in the quarterfinals. On paper, it was seen an easy matchup for Madrid, but Wolfsburg would make things interesting by winning the first leg 2-0 and putting Madrid in jeopardy of being eliminated.
Despite the second leg being played in Madrid, it was seen as unlikely that Real Madrid could overturn the result and go through. However, Cristiano would quickly score two goals in early minutes of the first half to tie the aggregate. Then in the second half, Ronaldo scored the game winning goal from a free kick to win the game 3-0 and help Madrid through to the semifinals.
17.2018 World Cupgoals vsSpain
Ronaldo celebrates after equalizing the game against Spain.
In the 2018 World Cup, Portugal began the tournament taking on Spain, who would be their biggest challenger in the group stage. Many experts believed this game would decide the group winner and it would be considered one of the best game in the World Cup, with Ronaldo as akeyprotagonists.
The first half went perfectly for Portugal as they led athalftime2-1with both goals scored by Cristiano. Although Spainturned the resultaroundin the second halfand led2-3 draw,Portugal would get an opportunity to tie the game just before added time as they were awarded a dangerousfree kick. With all the pressure on him, Cristiano stepped up and scored a brilliant goal to tie the gameat3-3and take a point.
16.PenaltyvsJuventus
His clutch penalty qualified Madrid for the semifinals of the Champions League.
Despite defeating Juventus in Turin 0-3 in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, Real Madrid found themselves in trouble in the second legafter the Italiansideequalized the aggregate score. Just when it looked liked the game would go into extra time, a penalty was called in favor of Madrid with theopportunity to advance to semifinals.
After minutes of madness, which sawJuve goalkeeper,GianluigiBuffon,be sent off for his intense protests, Cristiano stepped up and took a perfectly taken penalty to win the tie on aggregate and advance Real Madrid to the next round.
15. Euro 2016 semifinal performancevsWales
His goals against Wales led Portugal to Euro final.
Another brilliant Euro 2016 performance by Cristiano came in the semifinal matchup against Wales, whowerethe revelation of the tournamentand had just eliminatedBelgiumin the quarterfinals. The game was tight in the first half with both teams being defensively strong.
However, the game would light up in the second half as a dangerous cross found the head ofCristiano, whopowerfully headedthe ball into the goal to give Portugal the lead. A fewof minutes later, NaniextentedPortugal’s lead as theywent on to win andadvanced to the final where they would take on the host countryFrance.
14.Game winning penalty vs Atlético deMadrid
His penalty won Real Madrid the 2015/2016 Champions League.
In the 2015/2016 Champions League final, Real Madrid took on city rivals Atlético de Madrid. It would be arepeat ofthe 2013/2014 final, whichsawMadrid come out victorious. After Sergio Ramos opened the scoring, Yannick Carrasco would tie it in the second half and take the game into extra time, where it would remain scoreless and go into a penalty shootout.
Both sides were making their penalties until Atlético de Madrid defender, Juanfrán, missed to give Real Madrid an opportunity to win the title. As was expected, the decisive penalty was taken by Cristiano, who calmly scored itto win the Champions League title.
13. Champions League performancevsAtlético de Madrid
His hat-trick virtually secured Real Madrid’s place in the Champions League final.
After eliminating Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the 2016/2017 Champions League, Real Madrid would take on city rivals Atlético de Madrid in the semifinals. Atlético were looking to get back to thefinal and also wanted revenge as they had lostthe previous season toMadrid.
However, Cristiano made sure thatdidnot happen and would go on to score a hat-trickin thefirst legto lead Madrid to a 3-0 victory. In the second leg, Atlético made the tie close, butit wouldnot be enough and RealMadridadvancedto the Champions League final as they looked to defend their title againstJuventus.
12.GoalvsSampdoria
His hang time was 1.5 seconds.
Cristiano has scored many incredible throughout his career, but his NBA-style goal he scored against Sampdoria left even the opposing manager with his jaw dropped. A goal which was similar to the one he scored in the Champions League knockout stages against Manchester United while playing for Real Madrid in the game 2012/2013 season.
What is remarkable is not just the height of his jump, which was a remarkable8 feet and 5 inches,but also how long he hung in the air. His hang time was 1.5 seconds as he jumped over the Sampdoria defender andheaded the ball into far corner of the net.
11. Real Madrid all time leading goal scorer
Cristiano is Real Madrid’s all time leading goal scorer.
Cristiano is not just Real Madrid’s all time leading goal scorer, he did it in record fashion. The previous record was held by Raúl González, who played 741 games forthe cluband would go on to score a total of 325 career goals by the time he leftafter the 2009/2010 season.
However, after Cristiano arrived in the summer of 2009, he began to score goals at rapid pace that no player had ever done before and would go to break Raúl’s record by the end of2015. When Ronaldo left the club in the summer of 2018, he played a total of 438 games and would go on to score 450 career goals. Another player could potentially break his record, but it will not be done at rate Cristiano did.
10. Champions League performance vsBayern Munich
Cristiano led Real Madrid past tie against Bayern Munich.
In the 2016/2017 season, Real Madrid had an enticing Champions League quarterfinal matchup against their historic European rival BayernMunich. Before the game, Bayern were considered the favorites, but it was still seen as a close encounter that could go in any direction. This tie would see one of Cristiano’s best performances.
In the first leg, despite losing 1-0 at halftime, Ronaldoscoredtwo goals in the second half to help Madrid win 1-2 in Munich. Thereturn leg saw an epic game as Bayerntied the aggregate score and tookit into extra time, but Ronaldo wouldgo on to geta hat-tricktolead Madrid into the semifinals.
9. Bicycle kick goal vs Juventus
Cristiano’s incredible bicycle kick goal against Juventus.
In the 2017/2018 season, Real Madrid took on Juventus in the Champions League quarterfinals, with the first leg being played in Turin. Both sides met in the final the previous season where Madrid thrashed the Italians and would win their second consecutive Champions League title. Like in the final, Madrid would once again dominate Juventus as they would beat them0-3in Turin, with Cristiano scoring two goals.
However, Ronaldo’s second goal is what everyone remembers when this game is mention as he would score an incredible bicycle kick that went into the side corner of the goal. A goal that could be the greatest he has scored in his career.
8.Comeback vs Atlético de Madrid
His hat-trick against Atlético led Juventus to the quarterfinals.
After Juventus lost the first leg to Atlético de Madrid 2-0, many thought the tie was over. Atlético may not be the most glamours team, but they are always a strong defensive unit that is hard to break down, which made the idea of Juventus scoring three goals extremely unlikely. Not to mention Juve had to also make sure Atlético did not score any goals in the return leg.
However, back in Turin for the second leg, Cristiano had other ideas and would lead Juventus to an historic comeback. He scored all of Juve’s goals, with the game winner coming from the penalty spot as theybeat Atlético 3-0 to advance to the quarterfinals.
7. First player to score in five consecutive World Cups
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At Qatar 2022, Ronaldo became the first player to score in five consecutive FIFA World Cups. With his penalty goal scored against Ghana in the opening match, CR7 achieved a feat noteven the likes of Messi or Pele could.
Things eventually didn’t go according to plan, since Ronaldo failed to score another goal and his team was eliminated by Morocco in the quarterfinals. Even so, he managed to set a record.
6. All time Champions League goal scorer
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Although Cristiano left Europe, his record as theChampions League all time top goal scorer looks safe as he hasgood distance from the player in second position, whichhappens to be Leo Messi. That being said, Ronaldo and Messi are the only players to score more than 100 goals in the Champions League.
An incredible achievement, especially taking into considerationRonaldo began his Champions League career in 2003 and did not score his first goal until 2007.
5.Euro 2016title
.Cristiano winning the European championship with Portugal.
As Euro 2016 was beginning, Portugal was not even considered as one of the favorites to win the competition. Even less when they failed to win any of their group games and only went through as one of the best third place teams.
However, their form improved greatly in knockout stages and would make it all the way to final where they would take on the host country France. Although Cristiano would leave the game early due to an injury, his clutch performances were fundamental in helping Portugal reach the final where they would upset France to win their first European championship.
4.Champions Leaguefinal performance vsJuventus
His goals helps Real Madrid defend their Champions League title.
The 2016/2017 Champions League final between Juventus and Real Madrid is arguably Cristiano Ronaldo’s greatest individual performance of his career. Although Madrid were defending champions, Juve had thrashed Barcelona in the quarterfinals that season and were seen as Madrid’s toughest opponent in a European final.
In spite of the concerns, the game proved to be too much for Juventus and Real Madrid would go on to demolish the Italian side by a score of 4-1 with Ronaldo scoring two goals. After the game, Cristiano would be named the Man of the Match.
3. Three consecutive Ballon d’Orawards
Cristiano has won five Ballon d’Or awards.
Along with his collective achievements, Cristiano would add individual awards to his trophy cabinet. Ronaldowonthree consecutive Ballon d’Or awards between 2016 and 2018, which were the same seasons Real Madrid won theirChampions League titles.
In addition to the Ballon d’Or, he would also win three consecutive FIFA’s The Best awards during that same periodand was named the UEFA Men’s Player of the Yearin 2016 and 2017. Awards that are all well deserved taking into consideration his performances that led his club and country to great success.
2.Champions League titles with Real Madrid
Ronaldo won four Champions League during his career at Real Madrid.
He won numerous trophies while playing for Real Madrid, but his most successful period with the club came between 2016 and 2018 when they made history by becoming the first team to win three consecutive Champions League titles.
As is no surprise, Cristiano played an instrumentalpart in winning those titles as he would be named the competition’s top goal scorer during thethree Champions League wins, as well as coming up with clutch performances throughout the tournament. Performances that would lead him to winning the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017.
1. All-time international top scorer
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Witha double against Ireland in September 2021 during the World Cup qualifiers for Qatar 2022,Cristiano Ronaldo became the all-time international top scorer. That brace saw him break the record set byAli Daei, who scored 109 goals for Iran.
Even though he’s not getting any younger, Ronaldo will probably remain atop the list for a long time. And it will be even more difficult for Messi to surpass him if Cristiano continues to play for Portugal.
