Cristiano Ronaldo has a bicycle kick problem
Cristiano Ronaldo scored perhaps the most iconic goal of his career against Juventus on Tuesday, and showed it was no fluke in training on Saturday.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s later-career transformation into a penalty box predator reached a new peak in the Champions League on Tuesday, when he scored two goals in the first leg of the quarterfinal against Juventus, the second of which was, by Ronaldo’s own admission, the best goal of his storied career.
The bicycle kick was a classic of the genre, a goal so good even Zinedine Zidane, no stranger to great Champions League goals, didn’t seem to believe what he’d seen. Ronaldo apparently connected with ball almost eight feet in the air, a remarkable athletic achievement even without the extraordinary technical feat that accompanied it.
To make the whole thing even more astonishing, Ronaldo has reportedly been preparing for this moment his entire career, practicing the technique every chance he gets, and even scored one in the training session 24 hours before the game against Juve. Having achieved his career-long ambition, however, he seems unable to stop.
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Ronaldo scored yet another outstanding overhead kick in Real training on Saturday. This one wasn’t quite as good as the one on Tuesday (obviously), and the keeper’s probably got to do better at his near post, but also: This is becoming ridiculous. Ronaldo, who turned 33 in February, is supposed to be in decline, and yet, here we are, watching his third overhead kick in a week.
Real face a big derby match against Atletico Madrid on Sunday, though with the Liga title out of reach, it’s unclear what sort of team Zidane will select. The season is all about the Champions League now, although every game presents a welcome opportunity for Ronaldo to work on his overhead kicks.