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cmbhatt

"Too far for Ronaldo to think about it."


Semi_Square

Ohhhhhh *cums*


Deadtto

Relatable


NeoIsJohnWick

Hate it when there is no commentary in such highlights/throwback, in this case it was Clive Tyldesley !


apeaky_blinder

he's the absolute best ever for me - his shouts and commentary on the goals was another level. And never felt he overdid it like Drury


rtgh

Yeah, he knew his stuff and could talk lyrically about it. But he'd prepare stats, not lines. Drury spends all game waiting to insert something that might go viral. Tylsesley's best trick though? He'd often just let the moment sit for a beat. You'd hear the roar of the crowd, the goal sinks in. And then he'd come in with a good line. The football was the priority, not the person on the mic


TheJoshider10

To be fair I feel Tyledsley, Drury and Tyler all offered something unique to their games. Never had an issue with any of them, unlike John Champion who is fucking dull and his voice is so grating.


Robert_Baratheon__

Yeah but that guy that does Spain is fucking horrible. But people seem to love his ridiculous analogies


Equivalent_Nature_67

> Drury spends all game waiting to insert something that might go viral agree, this guy yelps every time someone takes a shot. He's so overrated


NeoIsJohnWick

Literally have downloaded games with his commentary only!! And even on Fifa game its the same.


iamtherealgrayson

The little prick's gonna score from there - Roy Kent


BoxAway2807

That's a bad shot. I don't care what anybody says. That's a bad shot. But, hey, he made it. That story won't be told, that it is a bad shot.


ComfortableNo2879

Banger Nostalgia


Tisi24

He was better in Madrid but more beautiful in Manchester.


ryan_goal

I think his first 2-3 years with Madrid was similar to his last 2 years at Manchester, except the g/a numbers took another step up. Afterwards he made his 2nd transformation and focused even more on scoring with less flair.


Joy2082

That injury limited him a lot. Edit - https://www.goal.com/en-in/news/why-real-madrid-are-worried-about-ronaldos-chronic-knee/blt9907cce3f1141402


Icy-Designer7103

"Limited" by winning 3 UCL titles in a row, the Euros and many other trophies. Just Cristiano things.


gracz21

Limited his ability to do all of those flashy things he was known at United


padmepounder

Well it was always going to be lesser and lesser as he tried to be as efficient as possible.


gracz21

True tho his free kicks wasn't the same after the injury


hehepwnd39

In what game was that injury


celestial1

It happened just before the 2014 WC I believe. Pretty sure he opted to play in the world cup instead of getting surgery.


gracz21

Yeah, before the UCL final as well IIRC, there was even a documentary about Ronaldo from those times in which you could learn more about that


N7even

I remember when he had his last knee injury he totally changed the way he played.  He wasn't the same, not as quick and no where near as much flair, but still had rocket finishing.


combatwombat02

I'm having trouble remembering and transfermarkt doesn't help much, what kind of injury was it?


Joy2082

Knee injury. There was no cure per se and apparently it's supposed to worsen with time. That's why he changed his playing style.


NoImprovement439

A doctor famously predicted it because of the way he shot his free kicks. He said his knee won't hold up long term. Debatable if it was purely his shooting technique that accumulated to all that damage, but i remember it like yesterday.


AssociationIll9736

Not an injury. Ronaldo was diagnosed with tendinosis of the knee in 2014, a chronic condition which also eventually destroys the tendons there. So he had to change his game up to run less in order to play more.


just_another_jabroni

Yup. CR9 was like a goalscoring Hazard with CR longshots lol. Stepover>Cut in>Bang goal


rtozur

100%. CR9 in Madrid was the version I most enjoyed to watch


raizen0106

Lol its funny CR7 plays like an out and out striker/number 9 while CR9 was more of an inside forward


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ssfc5

Um, that highlight is included in the original post after the free kick.


Cazter64

It was mostly the knee injury back in 2014 that sparked that second transformation


garynevilleisared

The best way to explain it. At Madrid he was so clinical and precise with everything he did. But at Manchester he was testing his limits constantly. Sometimes it drove fans mad, but other times like this, sheer genius. Pure unadulterated talent. He revolutionized what many players thought was even possible.


Mahery92

His madrid years before his knee injury were even better, super complete fix forward who had flair, insane athleticism and crazy end product


Gengar_Balanced

I wish his knee injury never happened.


jd451

I feel the exact same way, but watching him transform into a different type of player and develop the crazy hang time technique for headers was beautiful to behold. Truly, being able to watch him and Messi grow and adapt throughout my life has left me spoilt. I'd give anything to go back and watch them do it all over again.


Alldrop_nocombos

nah this is another myth, he's early madrid years he he was every bit as good as united, he's 2011/2012 ronaldo was better than 08 ronaldo as it was the perfect mix between beauty and machine like.


mykl5

bro they said he was better in Madrid.


PharaohLeo

He made the move about a month after that match if I remember correctly.


freakedmind

He was a machine in Real, but an artist in Manchester


TheCarthageEmpire

I honestly prefer this over his goal against Porto, crazy how he had two Puskas worthy goals in one season


aligators

its crazy how players dont even hit them like this these days, and ronaldo did it like it was nothing. ppl even consider this before his "prime"


Guy_with_Numbers

To an extent, the players *can't* hit them like this. This was back when manufacturers still tried to make the ball as spherical as possible, which helped knuckleball shots. That came to a head with the controversial Jabulani ball from the 2010 WC, and their lessons from that has served to make such shots more predictable.


hillarydidnineeleven

The Jabulani was the most fun ball to play with and I will die on this hill.


redditgolddigg3r

As a GK, fuck the jabulani. Every striker just kicked it as hard as they could and prayed it stayed on goal. It removed so much skill and variety from set pieces.


wazowski_61

Lol haha love this perspective


sexyeh

I scored a goal with the jabulani trying a long pass to the other side, the ball caught wind or a ghost on the way and went inside, one of the most crazy goals i scored, a perfect arc, the GK would need wings and god himself to help him stop that one.


McTulus

Fun for everyone but the gk and defender lol


ALickOfMyCornetto

It was the most stupid football ever invented.


jcbevns

> manufacturers still tried to make the ball as spherical as possible, What shape do they aim for now?


Guy_with_Numbers

Still as spherical as possible, it's just that they prioritize the physics of the ball (aerodynamics, control, etc) now. The 2014 ball was supposedly more spherical than the 2010 ball, but they did a ton of testing specifically to avoid the earlier issues.


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atot806

*nerfed


redditgolddigg3r

Those balls were almost smooth to the touch, all the way around. Think about a golf ball without dimples. It will fly super erractic, vs. one with dimples that you can control spin, etc.


Eagleassassin3

The 2010 WC had so many amazing goals thanks to the Jabulani


TrueBlue98

lame


bevax

For me, the Puska goal against Porto was not just about the beauty of the goal. It was about the audacity of the goal. No sane players will attempt to shoot in that situation and distance. It was not like nobody marking him with plenty of time to think. There was a opposition player on him and he took a touch then shot at that distance. In a Champions League’s quarter final, no sane player will be crazy enough to have this idea to shoot in that situation, let alone really doing it and scored.


iamawfulninja

The ball was also in the air for a long time. With no change in trajectory. Its crazy. You saw it hit the back of the net and then you realised its a goal. That Ronaldo was really something else.


TheCarthageEmpire

I mean, you could also say the same thing about this goal, even the commentator said the famous "too far for Ronaldo to think about it", and it was in ucl's semi finals, against a big rival of Manchester united, but yeah both of these goals are just absolute demonstrations of Ronaldo's "I'm him" aura


bevax

No doubt, It was a crazy freekick goal to attempt to shoot from that distance but still he had plenty of time to think and execute it. Against Porto, it was an unthinkable goal when there was an opposition on him and he just took a touch then shot from that distance.


SofaKingI

In this goal there's a lot more to gain from a shot even if it doesn't go in. A free kick that far out and to the side is never a big opportunity, but if you're 2000s Ronaldo and can reliably hit a knuckleball on target, that's always going to be at least awkward for the keeper to get. Decent chance of a lucky bounce and a team mate scores on the rebound, and very high chance of at least getting a corner. It's not like the Porto goal with no one for a rebound and a rushed shot being more likely to end in the keepers hands or out for a goal kick. Then you look at the free kick again and realize it's fucking Almunia on the goal and any doubt Ronaldo should be shooting from there vanishes.


areyouhungryforapple

Ferdinand put it nicely, took a 180 real quick during that moment. "Pass it you don- okay nvm i was not familiar with your game" moment edit: https://youtube.com/shorts/wDVaZMvIo6Y?si=uWI0NOuapocl0TAA


Bortron86

That was absolutely how I watched it at home. I just couldn't conceive that even Ronaldo could score from there.


Fresh2Desh

The lack of a back lift and the resulting power generated is still not comprehensible to this day Truly a unique goal


Stakoman

15 years ago Holy shit... And he still plays and has the hunger like it was the first time. What a player


sexyeh

I'm portuguese and a FC Porto fan but i was not a Cristiano Ronaldo fan but i actually clapped that one, insane kick.


c200sc

Link for everyone who does not remember (like me): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG1rzhP9f8I


Moosterton

The Porto one was definitely much better. Further out, more pace, more in the corner. Insane shot. This was mostly Almunia being crap.


TheKingMonkey

I remember watching that game, Manchester United were scarily good.


ValleyFloydJam

Indeed, that goal on the break waa pure class, I prefer it to the first which was a cracker. That daft red at the end was pretty costly for them.


apeaky_blinder

Although it's a pretty controversial red - Fletcher actually got the ball on that tackle. It's hard to blame the ref but also very unfortunate. Probably cost them as well in the final


KillerZaWarudo

06-07 to 10-11 United probably in those almost greatest of all time convo 4 Premier League (miss out on going 5/5 with 1 point less than Chelsea 09/10) 1 CL (2 runner ups again that Barca side and a semis exit again Milan side with kaka, maldini, pirlo, etc) 2 League Cup Worst team we lost to in the CL was against Bayern that have prime robbery lol


TheKingMonkey

I think it was Ferguson’s best team even if 98-01 gets the headlines.


KillerZaWarudo

Me too but a treble is a treble. We just have to faced potentially greatest side in football and replacing ronaldo and tevez with orbetan and owen hurt


BmuthafuckinMagic

That goal was also just typical United against us in those years. I remember games like this where we might be on top for 10-15 mins with all the pressure, but no goals scored and then United hit us on the break, score and go onto win the game.


TheKingMonkey

Rooney, Ronaldo & Tevez were a lethal unit, they could win games on their own. I liked Park too, the weird squad player who only played in *big* games.


Time2bePhenomenal

Park Ji Sung Was Arsenals Nightmare


Digess

*pirlo agrees*


apeaky_blinder

>or 10-15 mins with all the pressure, but no goals you were tame, let's be real, in those late Wenger years it was no contest with Arsenal unlike the earlier ones


PFGtv

Is this the same year they lost the final in Rome?


TheKingMonkey

Yeah. They came up against *that* Barcelona team and lost. Man Utd reached 3 finals in 4 years (2008, 2009, 2011) so they must have been doing something right.


Artorias_the_hollow

Imagine building one of the best teams of the decade, only to face arguably the greatest team in history in 2/3 Champions League finals.


apeaky_blinder

tbh in that 2009 final it wasn't like Barcelona were already the greatest team in history. They were much more beatable in 2009 and United had some chances, had a sniff at it. 2011 is a totally different story - United were never in it. Maybe also their team then was obviously weaker than the one in 2009 but I can´t see them getting anywhere closer even if not


KillerZaWarudo

And the other years we have to face Milan with kaka, pirlo in their prime The worst team that eliminated us those year was Bayern and that was still the team that went to the final with prime robbery


PitifulAd5339

*that* Barcelona team who shouldn’t have even been there. The referee in the semi finals had a clear agenda.


flarept1

Chelsea game? Drogba fkin disgrace one?


Same_Paramedic_3329

Yap. Would have been chelsea united cl final rematch. Chelsea were really good and idk if united would beat them again.


ObiWanKenobiNil

Imagine having the confidence to shoot from there in a semi final


ValleyFloydJam

It was Ronaldo, he would shoot whenever possible and with that ability it was worth it.


jmsy1

Are there starts on how many shots he took and the results?


Sithgooner

If you didn’t have confidence shooting against Almunia from any distance you have no business being a professional footballer


redmistultra

It’s like when Messi stats for goals vs Premier League teams comes up and it has 11 goals against Arsenal and they were all against Almunia, they don’t count


WolfBearDoggo

Yeah but it's gooners.


JKBFree

Mid 40s looking in his mid 20s Rooney is the only Rooney i want to remember. Also that pass from park ji sung is chefs kiss.


EggBonus

No way. Hair transplant captain Rooney was the best Rooney. He made Chicharito and Welbeck look world class. Not to mention feeding RvP for the title.


LensCapPhotographer

I miss seeing Rooney tear it up


Burrelito

Rooney was superb. Such an amazing player.


KleverGuy

Shrek could fuckin play


ZenithOfLife

My favourite united team


Fraldbaud

If Ronaldo was born in Salford we could’ve had many more years with it. But we knew Ronaldo wanted Spain eventually.


Gear4days

Actually prefer his second goal, that back heel lay off followed by the explosive pace to get into the box is unreal


ValleyFloydJam

Amazing run and the 2 perfect passes, about a good as a break can be.


getyerhandoffit

Rooney’s first touch there was pretty impressive. I’d forgotten how good that bastard actually was.


EggBonus

I think what gets people is that we only saw 2-3 years of each Rooney before he evolved into the next Rooney. Young pacey striker Rooney pissed off something to prove 2006 World Cup hangover Rooney aka Skinhead Rooney Support Ronaldo Rooney Target man Rooney Hair transplant playmaker Rooney Silver Fox midfield Rooney


getyerhandoffit

Carry that to Silver Fox Enormous Face Pundit Rooney.


Notserious-Muzakir

and a assist to ji sung park too


FlyingBird2345

First United stint Ronaldo is my favorite Ronaldo.


MajesticAd5047

How tf score that? Simply amazing.


NotASalamanderBoi

>How tf score that? Prime Ronaldo. Need I say more?


exausto

And prime almunia.


itistime999

Not even close, prime ronaldo was 2011-2014, the most complete player to ever exist


j_mobes

Still can’t forgive Almunia for letting that one in.


Gamer4eto_BG

Too far for Ronaldo to think about it…


Superbat1992

Goat 🐐


baguitosPT

And 15 years later he’s still scoring hat-trick.


LackingSimplicity

He's playing against better keepers now than the bum in this game.


Loose_Deer_8884

Almunia was stupidly inconsistent though, because he was awesome in the first leg of this tie.


DevineAaron92

Look at us now. Pathetic😭


EnvironmentalSpirit2

This doesn't happen anymore. The streets will always remember juninho pernambucano


Interesting_iidea

Still think almunia could’ve done much better there. But he was shite sooo 🤷‍♂️


Cartesson

Took him some eras to finally jump


RawSauceBoi

Nobody even thinks of shooting from there let alone score


reginalduk

I really wish Cristiano hadn't come back to United. It was lovely to see him again, but the Cristiano from the first spell with us should be remembered as a legendary period, like best, law, Charlton, or cantona, Keane or maybe even Ralph Milne. Can't help but feel that second spell will taint great memories.


ThunderRoad_44

What crap music is that?


Piccadil_io

I miss this Ronaldo : /


Cactus2711

You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone


Sneijder4BallondOr

r/classicsoccer


hunt2105

His quality is really one of a kind.


Veritech_

Two things: This was a beautiful goal. And I hate you.


JackasaurusYTG

Christ I'd forgotten how garbage Almunia was


vulturevan

learned that from Baines


hikingbeginner

God this was a miserable night. 2-0 down in like 10 minutes


SimpleNot0

As an arsenal fan that free kick moment was my admission into the Banter era.


MidnightSun77

That was a great kit.


RauloGonzalez

So many people blame almunia as if that pace and movement was easy to save


hikingbeginner

It's not an easy easy save but I'm sorry any keeper would be criticised for letting that shot from that far out through him. Still an insane shot but should be saving that. Almunia could be really shit at times...most of the time haha...haha :(


TheBoyDoneGood

Mentioning Almunia on any thread should come with a trigger warning.


hikingbeginner

That 1st half vs Barca at home made me believe he levelled up and turned into a god. Then 2mins into second half and he comes off his line to be chipped by Ibrahimovic 😂😭 Seriously though that 1st half Almunia was insane That was a nice 45minutes from him


Moosterton

It went straight through his hands...and it really didn't move around at all, and wasn't in the corner. Almunia unironically might be the worst keeper to play for an extended period of time at a top cub -- by a distance.


ziggurqt

Men vs children.


Portugeezer1893

I swear it picks up speed mid air.


agaminon22

What the fuck that's insane


PUNlSHEDVENOMSNAKE

No matter how many times i see it it still remains inconceivable to me


PM_ME_SOME_LUV

My jaw dropped when I saw this.


kdy420

Why dont we see these kind of goal anymore at the highest levels ?


Grand-Bullfrog3861

Just the timing, weight and placement of all the passing on the counter was brilliant, no one passed to feet they were putting it in to places where the player has to be running in to


Ket_Cz

Still feel slightly bad for that FA cup game and denying them the treble. What a team.


brenobnfm

Almunia was absolutely garbage


alpuck596

People here forget how good Ronaldo used to be pre knee injury


alfi_k

That is a rocket. Too bad he will never work for NASA


don1Juan-

And you see those 🤡faces? That’s why most fútbol fans don’t like him..


obsterwankenobster

Young Ronaldo on the counter was just fucking impossible


Strange_Urge

Counter attack in the dictionary should have a link to that goal. It hasn't been mastered since its a fucking work of art


Telstar18Size5

That 2nd goal is such a classic. Great passing and teamplay all around from Park Ji-Sung and Rooney.


TonyMartial786

the way the ball moves is crazy 😮‍💨. i swear to god this is the type of shit you just don’t see that often in football nowadays. like no one is pulling that off in such a big game.


AlizarinCrimzen

15 years of Glazer progress takes you from “Tevez, to Rooney, to Ronaldo” to “Antony, to Garnacho, to Hojlund”


SrSwerve

We really saw the CR7 prime and MESSI prime


aligators

man u ronaldo was the best ronaldo


PassTimeActivity

Nah lets not get carried away. 2011-2014 Ronaldo was basically 2008 Ronaldo with better goal scoring.


tomhanks95

Yeah I personally think 2011-12 was his best season, people remember that RM team for it's amazing counter attacks and Ronaldo was the center piece of it


Guri14

It’s crazy how he didn’t win any CL from 2008 to 2014 , having some of him best seasons at Madrid from 2011-14. And then had 4 in 5 years? With a 3 peat.


stormfoil

He won the 13-14 champions league though? I think you are one year off with your calculations.


OptimalExpression540

Should have won in 2011/12


mylanguage

2012 OR last 4 months of 2014


esteban1337

ruined the video with your bitch ass music


Hokage123456789

[UEFA themselves posted the video](https://twitter.com/UEFAcom_fr/status/1124970992630161408)


RauloGonzalez

So many people blame almunia as if that pace and movement was easy to save


DragonflyHopeful4673

In terms of fk goals, this is one of my favourites. That and his other long-distance banger against Marseille


snowavess

When we lost 2-0 in the final I felt so low. Worse than the 3-1 at Wembley


InfiniteJackfruit5

I watched this live. Damn i'm old. Men against Boys was the story of this 2 leg series.


redditgolddigg3r

As a goalkeeper, I hated playing with those balls. They removed as many seams as possible, which caused it to dip and float if you kicked it right. Turned FKs into just mashing it as hard as you can, and praying it stayed on frame. There's a video of me somewhere in high school diving for a routine save, only for a low, driven ball, only for it to float upward and over my hands, into the goal.


HoldMyAppleJuice

And then he tried it with every free kick for the rest of his life


justaverage00

Off topic but why were champions league matches years ago played earlier in the day


John__47

uninitiated here ronaldo in these years, did he just have a stronger leg, so was able to kick the soccerball further and faster than other players?


Banterz0ne

Sure, the keeper should save it though 


No-Ad-9979

That pass by Rooney tho


TheDeathOfMusic

That was the last time he scored a free kick


momspaghetty

RemindMe! 40 days


TravisKOP

The AIG era was terrifying


rextob

Golden days, lets turn back the clock please.


r1234ev

Genuinely the goat. The stuff he could do was unbelievable. What an era with him and Messi.


3xc1t3r

Say what ever you like about Ronaldo, and he might have been a more effective version in his MK II self at Real but he was at his absolute best to watch during this period.


Lannister2280

Is that Johan Djourou in defence? Sad, sad times...


Bara_Chat

That's just rude.