Cristiano Ronaldo’s stunning overhead kick for Real Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final clash with Juventus has been voted UEFA’s Goal of the Season for 2018.
The Portuguese boasts a remarkable collection of jaw-dropping strikes on his personal showreel, but an acrobatic bicycle kick at the Allianz Stadium is considered to be his very best.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has admitted as much, with the 33-year-old stating at his unveiling as DAZN’s first Global Ambassador: “[It] was, in my opinion, one of the best goals of my career so far.
“And, of course, when the people started to applaud me in the stadium I was like, ‘wow’.
“[It] surprised me a lot because this has never happened in my life, so it was an unbelievable moment.”
Ronaldo’s effort in the first leg of the last-eight encounter in Turin helped Real to establish a 3-0 lead over Juventus.
They were to see that lead whittled away on home soil, but ultimately prevailed courtesy of another timely effort from a talismanic presence – with Ronaldo netting a dramatic penalty at the Santiago Bernabeu.
He would go on to help the Blancos conquer Europe for a third year in succession, landing him a fifth continental crown, while also finishing as the Champions League’s top scorer.
Dimitri Payet was second while third place went to Eva Navarro for her goal for Spain in their Women’s U17 Euro final victory against Germany.
Ronaldo is just the third player to scoop the top prize, which was first handed out in 2015.
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi took the award in its first two seasons before the baton was passed to Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic in 2017.
